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.

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].