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Birth weight and its relation with medical nutrition therapy in gestational diabetes

  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The cornerstone in treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is medical nutrition therapy (MNT), but the effect on birth weight is disputed. The birth weight was evaluated with respect to length of MNT and adherence to diet.

Methods

We performed a cohort study on 436 women with GDM and 254 non-diabetic women. Women with a normal oral glucose tolerance test were included as controls as they had similar background predisposition as the women with GDM. The GDM women were subdivided according to MNT and the nutritional status was further stratified according to adherence to the current dietary guidelines.

Results

Birth weight above 4 kg was more prevalent in the non-diabetic women compared to the diet-treated GDM women (27 vs. 18%, p = 0.012) but similar to the GDM women who had no MNT (24%). Lower birth weight was associated with longer duration of MNT (r = −0.13, p = 0.021). The birth weight was 1.2 g lower per day of treatment.

Conclusions

Medical nutrition therapy was associated with reduction of the fetal weight in women with GDM and the weight decreases with length of treatment. Birth weight above 4 kg was as prominent in the non-diabetic women as in the women with GDM without MNT.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

GDM:

Gestational diabetes mellitus

GI:

Glycemic index

LGA:

Large for gestational age

OGTT:

Oral glucose tolerance test

MNT:

Medical nutrition therapy

RD:

Registered dietician

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Herning Hospital, Gl. Landevej 61, 7400, Herning, Denmark

    Marianne Vestgaard & Finn Friis Lauszus

  2. Department of Nutrition, Herning Hospital, Herning, Denmark

    Allan Stubbe Christensen & Lone Viggers

Authors
  1. Marianne Vestgaard
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  2. Allan Stubbe Christensen
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  3. Lone Viggers
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  4. Finn Friis Lauszus
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Contributions

MV: Project development, data collection, manuscript writing. ASC: Nutritional data collection and evaluation, manuscript editing. LV: Nutritional data collection and evaluation, manuscript editing. FFL: Project development, data collection, manuscript writing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Finn Friis Lauszus.

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Conflict of interest

We disclose that there is no potential conflicts of interest.

Informed consent

The research was performed with permission to access data anonymized without the written consent of patients (Ref. No. 2014-41-3433, Danish Data Protection Agency).

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Vestgaard, M., Christensen, A.S., Viggers, L. et al. Birth weight and its relation with medical nutrition therapy in gestational diabetes. Arch Gynecol Obstet 296, 35–41 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4396-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4396-7

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