This Diet May Be Beneficial in High-risk Pregnancies

A new study published in PLOS One found that pregnant women with metabolic risk factors may reduce their risk of certain adverse events by following the Mediterranean diet.

“Pregnant women with metabolic risk factors are at high risk of complications. We aimed to assess whether a Mediterranean-style diet reduces adverse pregnancy outcomes in high-risk women,” the researchers reported.

The randomized trial spanned five maternity units in London (n = 4) and Birmingham (n = 1). Between Sept. 12, 2014, and Feb. 29, 2016, 7,950 women were screened for eligibility, of whom 1,252 were randomized for the study. Patients were pregnant women with metabolic risk factors (obesity, chronic hypertension, or hypertriglyceridemia); they were randomized to either a Mediterranean-style diet group or a control group. The Mediterranean diet included a high intake of nuts, extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, non-refined grains, and legumes; moderate to high fish intake; low to moderate poultry and dairy intake; low red and processed meat intake; and avoidance of sugary drinks, fast food, and food with high animal fat content. The control group followed their usual diet. Individualized dietary advice was given at 18, 20, and 28 weeks’ gestation. The primary maternal outcomes were gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, and the primary offspring outcomes were stillbirth, small for gestational age, and neonatal care unit admission

A total of 553 intervention and 585 control patients were available for follow-up. The intervention group, compared to the control cohort, consumed more nuts (70.1% vs. 22.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 6.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.3–10.6, p ≤ 0.001) and extra virgin olive oil (93.2% vs. 49.0%; aOR 32.2, 95% CI 16.0–64.6, p ≤ 0.001). Women following the Mediterranean diet also increased their fish (p < 0.001), white meat (p < 0.001), and pulses (p = 0.05) intakes, and lowered their intakes of red meat (p < 0.001), butter, margarine, and cream (p < 0.001).

While most outcomes did not largely differ, the intervention group had a significantly reduced risk for gestational diabetes (aOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.47–0.91, p = 0.01).

“Mothers gained less gestational weight (mean 6.8 versus 8.3 kg; adjusted difference −1.2 Kg, 95% CI −2.2 to −0.2, p = 0.03) with intervention versus control. There was no difference in any of the other maternal and offspring complications between both groups,” the authors further reported.

In their conclusion the researchers wrote, “A simple, [individualized], Mediterranean-style diet in pregnancy did not reduce the overall risk of adverse maternal and offspring complications but has the potential to reduce gestational weight gain and the risk of gestational diabetes.”