Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Jun;12(2):57-72.

Nutrition Therapy in Managing Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Literature Review

Neda Dolatkhah  1 , Majid Hajifaraji  2 , Seyed Kazem Shakouri  1
Affiliations
Review

Nutrition Therapy in Managing Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Literature Review

Neda Dolatkhah et al. J Family Reprod Health. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic and endocrine perinatal complication and is a growing health problem worldwide. Considering the fetal programming and its contribution as one of the evolutionary origins of human diseases, it is very important to improve the glucose metabolism in pregnant women, determination of other nutrients, preventing excessive accumulation of fetal fats, emphasis on weight loss measures before pregnancy, dietary intake with low-fat healthy food and prevention of abundant weight loss. In this paper, we have provided a brief review on dietary intake and dietary interventions in GDM from the perspective of nutrition science attending the physiopathology and etiology of the disease. Materials and methods: Electronic search for English and Persian articles has been perform in databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed ,Scopus, Cochrane central ,Science direct, ISC, SID, Magiran, Iran Medex, and Med Libby key words: gestational diabetes, gestational diabetes mellitus, nutrition, macronutrient, micronutrient, Diabetes. All available articles (cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic, and clinical studies with desirable design and review quality studies were used. Reference books including Krause's Food and the Nutrition Care, The Williams Obstetrics editions of the 14th (2017) and the 24th edition (2014) were also reviewed. Results: Nutrition therapy and physical activity are the initial treatment of GDM. Proper and flexible methods of nutrition therapy that successfully regulate maternal glycaemia while improving expected fetal growth have extensive concepts. Meanwhile, dietary supplements with proven beneficial effects can play an important role in improving deficiencies and improving the metabolic profile of patients. Conclusion: Nutritional management is the main treatment for gestational diabetes mellitus and overweight/obesity is the principal contest in patient counseling and interventions during pregnancy. Despite extensive researches carried out, this field is an active research area and requires more clinical research to minimize maternal and fetal complications.

Keywords: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus; Medical Nutrition Therapy; Pregnancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Barbour LA, McCurdy CE, Hernandez TL, Kirwan JP, Catalano PM, Friedman JE. Cellular mechanisms for insulin resistance in normal pregnancy and gestational diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2007;30(Suppl 2):S112–9. - PubMed
    1. Cunningham F, Leveno K, Bloom S, Spong CY, Dashe J. Williams Obstetrics, 24e. Mcgraw-hill; 2014.
    1. Gilmartin AB, Ural SH, Repke JT. Gestational diabetes mellitus. Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2008;1:129–34. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ma RC, Chan JC. Pregnancy and diabetes scenario around the world: China. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2009;104(Suppl 1):S42–5. - PubMed
    1. Meetoo D, McGovern P, Safadi R. An epidemiological overview of diabetes across the world. Br J Nurs. 2007;16:1002–7. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources