Research
Macro partitioning
Low Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) diets significantly reduce postprandial glucose levels in women with GDM, though they may not significantly impact primary neonatal outcomes like birth weight or macrosomia.
Choose foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI <= 55) and focus on Glycemic Load (GL). Eat high-fiber foods like vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. This helps control blood sugar spikes after meals, even if it doesn't guarantee a lower birth weight.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Xu et al. found that a low-GI diet significantly reduced 2 h postprandial glucose concentrations, without any effect on fasting plasma glucose (FPG), birth weight, HbA1c, macrosomia, or insulin requirements [24]. ... In a recent study by Lv et al., 134 women with GDM were randomly allocated to either conventional nutritional nursing or specific nutritional nursing intervention based on GL. Significant differences in fasting blood glucose and the 2 h postprandial glucose levels between the two groups was found with lower levels in the group receiving intervention based on GL [29].
Why this rating
Supported by meta-analyses and RCTs cited in the review.
Source
Diet and Healthy Lifestyle in the Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Louise M. Rasmussen et al. · Nutrients · 2020
DOI 10.3390/nu12103050
narrative_reviewCited 297×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- For women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), lifestyle modification (medical nutrition therapy and physical activity) alone is sufficient to control blood glucose in 70–85% of cases, making it the essential first-line treatment.Good
- Carbohydrate intake should not be restricted below the levels recommended for normal pregnancies (minimum 175g/day), and the focus should be on the type, amount, and distribution of carbohydrates to avoid postprandial hyperglycemia and ketonemia.Good
- Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) in women with GDM increases the risk of adverse outcomes including hypertensive disorders, cesarean section, and large for gestational age (LGA) babies, and calorie restriction (30-33%) may be necessary for obese women who have already reached recommended weight gain.Good
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