Impact of Mediterranean diet in lowering risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study

Introduction and objectives: The prevalence of gestational diabetes is increasing, and the Mediterranean diet is highly recommended for health. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study the presence of GDM is the dependent variable, and socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics and adherence to the Mediterranean diet are the independent variables in this study, which was carried out in pregnant women who were 24-28 weeks pregnant and had Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated with the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale (MEDAS). Data were collected through face-toface interviews, weight and height measurements of the pregnant women were made, and the diagnosis of GDM was made with OGTT. Results: Two hundred and seven pregnant women participated in the study and 85 of them (41.1%) were diagnosed as GDM. According to Logistic Regression models, age (OR: 1.088, 95% CI: 1.031-1.149) and infertility treatment (OR: 4.570, 95% CI: 1.443-14.474) significantly increased the occurrence of GDM, while adherence to the Mediterranean diet (OR: 0.683, 95% CI: 0.568-0.820) significantly reduced the risk. Conclusions: Nearly two -fifths of pregnant women were diagnosed with GDM while only one-fourth complied with a Mediterranean diet. The increase in the frequency of GDM should be carefully monitored. It may be useful to detect risky pregnant women at the time of the first diagnosis, to measure their glucose levels, and to give suggestions about the Mediterranean diet in the early period. (c) 2023 Elsevier Espan a, S.L.U. All rights reserved.