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World J Diabetes. Sep 15, 2021; 12(9): 1494-1506
Published online Sep 15, 2021. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v12.i9.1494
Improving nutrition for the prevention of gestational diabetes: Current status and perspectives
Polina V Popova, Evgenii A Pustozerov, Aleksandra S Tkachuk, Elena N Grineva
Polina V Popova, Evgenii A Pustozerov, Aleksandra S Tkachuk, Elena N Grineva, Institute of Endocrinology, Almazov National Medical Research Centre, Saint Petersburg 194156, Russia
Polina V Popova, Department of Faculty Therapy, Saint Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia
Evgenii A Pustozerov, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University, Saint Petersburg 197341, Russia
Author contributions: Popova PV and Grineva EN contributed conceptualization; Popova PV and Pustozerov EA contributed methodology; Popova PV and Tkachuk AS wrote original draft preparation; Popova PV, Pustozerov EA and Grineva EN reviewed and edited the manuscript; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by Governmental Research Topic from the Ministry of Health Care of Russian Federation, No. 121031100288-5.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Polina V Popova, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Institute of Endocrinology, Almazov National Medical Research Centre, 2, Akkuratova street, Saint Petersburg 194156, Russia. pvpopova@yandex.ru
Received: February 28, 2021
Peer-review started: February 28, 2021
First decision: March 30, 2021
Revised: April 20, 2021
Accepted: August 16, 2021
Article in press: August 16, 2021
Published online: September 15, 2021
Processing time: 190 Days and 13.4 Hours
Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy and a serious public health problem. It carries significant risks of short-term and long-term adverse health effects for both mothers and their children. Risk factors, especially modifiable risk factors, must be considered to prevent GDM and its consequences. Observational studies have identified several nutritional and lifestyle factors associated with the risk of GDM. The results of intervention studies examining the effects of diet and lifestyle on the prevention of GDM are contradictory. Differences in the study populations, types and intensity of intervention, time frame of the intervention, and diagnostic criteria for GDM may explain the heterogeneity in the results of intervention studies. This review provides an overview of new diets and other factors that may help prevent GDM. The main results of epidemiological studies assessing the risk factors for GDM, as well as the results and methodological problems of intervention studies on the prevention of GDM and their meta-analyses, are discussed. In addition, the evidence that gene and lifestyle interactions influence the development of GDM, as well as prospects for increasing the effectiveness of interventions designed to prevent GDM, including new data on the possible uses of personalized diet therapy, are highlighted.

Keywords: Gestational diabetes mellitus; Risk factors; Nutrition; Prevention; Personalized medicine; Postprandial glycemic response

Core Tip: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy and a serious public health problem. This review provides an overview of new diets and other factors that may help prevent GDM. The main results of epidemiological studies assessing the risk factors for GDM, as well as the results and methodological problems of intervention studies on the prevention of GDM and their meta-analyses, are discussed. In addition, prospects for increasing the effectiveness of interventions designed to prevent GDM, including new data on the possible use of personalized diet therapy, are highlighted.