ABSTRACT
Developments................................................................................................ 120 6.3 Maternal Nutritional Therapy for Gestational Diabetes ............................... 123
6.3.1 Carbohydrate Control .......................................................................124 6.3.2 Macronutrients Other Than Carbohydrates ......................................124 6.3.3 Micronutrients .................................................................................. 125
6.4 Nutritional Prevention of Gestational Diabetes ............................................ 125 6.4.1 Calorie Restriction ............................................................................ 126 6.4.2 Specific Nutrient Intake in the Prevention of Gestational
Diabetes ............................................................................................ 126 6.5 Role of Maternal Weight Regulation in Gestational Diabetes ..................... 127
6.5.1 Recommendations for Weight Gain in Pregnancy ........................... 127 6.5.2 The Role of Suboptimal Weight Gain and Weight Loss in
Pregnancy ......................................................................................... 129 6.6 Glycaemic Index ........................................................................................... 130
6.6.1 About the Glycaemic Index .............................................................. 130 6.6.2 Clinical Applicability of the Glycaemic Index ................................. 131 6.6.3 Low-GI Diet in Nondiabetic Pregnancy ........................................... 132 6.6.4 Low-GI Diet for the Prevention of GDM ......................................... 132 6.6.5 Low-GI Diet for Reducing Neonatal Macrosomia ........................... 132 6.6.6 Low-GI Diet for Controlling Maternal Weight Gain........................ 134 6.6.7 Low-GI Diet for Improving Pregnancy Outcomes: The Future ....... 134 6.6.8 Low-GI Diet in the Treatment of GDM ............................................ 135
Recent guidelines from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK and updated recommendations from the U.S. Institute of Medicine have highlighted the importance of healthy nutrition in pregnant women. Both over-and undernutrition in pregnancy have been associated with adverse short-term and longterm health outcomes for mother and child. Evidence-based dietary guidelines are particularly important for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), for whom maternal nutritional therapy represents the cornerstone of clinical treatment.
