Addition of whole berries and leafy vegetables to diet beneficial for women with gestational diabetes

"These functional foods must be recommended for managing pregnancies affected by GDM," Kataryna Jaworsky, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA, and colleagues wrote in their study.

Gestational diabetes is defined as abnormal glucose tolerance that presents during the pregnancy's second and third trimesters. It is a growing issue in the US and worldwide. GDM, if left poorly controlled or untreated, can lead to numerous consequences for both the mother and the fetus. Thus, it is important to explore the different avenues of GDM management. Moreover, there is a lack of studies that examine how lifestyle changes, including physical activity and diet, affect GDM management.

To fill this knowledge gap, Dr. Jaworsky and the team examined how counselling on lifestyle changes can affect cardiometabolic risks in women with gestational diabetes.

For this purpose, they conducted a 12-week randomized controlled trial based on behavioral counseling which included 38 women with GDM. They were randomized into either a nutrition education (control) (N = 18) group or a nutrition intervention (N = 20) group.

The nutrition education group were given dietary counselling on healthy dietary choices based on USDA guidelines, on the other hand, the nutrition intervention group were instructed to consume one cup of leafy vegetables and a total of one cup of whole berries daily along with performing postprandial exercise (walking).

The researchers collected anthropometric measures, blood samples, and physical activity and dietary data recorded in daily food and activity logs, at baseline and the study end and compared between the two groups.

The researchers revealed that dietary counselling on supplementation with leafy vegetables and whole berries led to increased antioxidant intake, increased fibre intake, and total serum antioxidant capacity. It also improved random blood glucose, HDL cholesterol, and reduced serum IL-6 versus the control group.

In women diagnosed with GDM, the randomized controlled trial demonstrated that dietary counselling emphasizing the daily addition of whole berries and leafy vegetables during pregnancy directly modulates maternal metabolic parameters.

"The significant reduction in serum IL-6, random blood glucose, and significant increases in antioxidant capacity and HDL-cholesterol, suggest that leafy vegetable and whole berry supplementation directly modulate the metabolic pathways that are implicated in gestational diabetes," the researchers wrote.

"Thus, given the significance of these findings and the relative ease of incorporating these dietary changes, supplementation of whole berry and leafy vegetable must be incorporated in the clinical management of patients with newly diagnosed gestational diabetes," they conclude. "Larger studies are warranted to investigate the effects of mother-infant dyads on future health risks."

Reference:

Jaworsky, K., DeVillez, P., Alexander, J. M., & Basu, A. (2022). Effects of an Eating Pattern Including Colorful Fruits and Vegetables on Management of Gestational Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 15(16), 3624. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15163624