Effect of a Mediterranean Diet-Based Nutritional Intervention on the Risk of Developing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Other Maternal-Fetal Adverse Events in Hispanic Women Residents in Spain

• Main Authors: Verónica Melero, Nuria García de la Torre, Carla Assaf-Balut, Inés Jiménez, Laura del Valle, Alejandra Durán, Elena Bordiú, Johanna J. Valerio, Miguel A Herraiz, Nuria Izquierdo, Maria José Torrejón, Isabelle Runkle, Ana Barabash, Miguel A Rubio, Alfonso L Calle-Pascual
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: gestational diabetes mellitus; Hispanic ethnicity; Mediterranean diet; nutritional intervention; pregnancy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/11/3505

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most frequent morbidity found in pregnancy, and it increases the risk for several maternal-fetal complications. Hispanic women are considered at high risk. The St. Carlos GDM prevention study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted from 2016–2017. Normoglycemic women were randomized at 12–14 Gestation week (WG) to an intervention group (IG) receiving recommendations based on the MedDiet (supplemented with ExtraVirgin Olive Oil/pistachios), or to a control group (CG), recommended to limit fat intake. After RCT conclusion, IG recommendations were applied to a real-world group (RW) in routine clinical practice. The primary endpoint of the current study is an assessment of the GDM rate in Hispanic participants of the aforementioned studies: 132 RCT, 128 CT, 284 RW participants. The GDM rate was lower in IG: 19/128(14.8%), <i>p</i> = 0.021, and RW: 38/284(13.4%), <i>p</i> = 0.029) than in CG: 34/132(25.8%). Adjusted RR (95%CI) for GDM: 0.72 (0.50–0.97), <i>p</i> = 0.037 in IG and 0.77 (0.61–0.97), <i>p</i> = 0.008 in RW. Rates of urinary tract infections, emergency caesarean-sections and perineal trauma were also lower in IG and RW. Other adverse outcomes were lower in IG vs. CG. In conclusion, a MedDiet-based intervention reduces the rate of GDM and several adverse maternal-fetal outcomes in Hispanic women residing in Spain.