Relationship between caloric intake and pregnancy outcome in diet-treated gestational diabetes mellitus

A prospective observational study was performed to examine the relationship between estimated caloric intake with maternal blood glucose profile and infant outcome in a group of Chinese women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) treated by diet alone. Following the diagnosis of GDM according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, and using a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), 62 non-obese Chinese women who had completed a 5-day dietary survey were recruited into the study. They were categorized by their mean caloric intake over 5 days into tertiles for comparison of gestational weight gain, glycemic control and pregnancy outcome. Subjects in the highest tertile had a mean intake close to the prescribed intake. No differences were seen in maternal characteristics, gestational weight gain, OGTT, other postprandial glucose concentrations, or infant outcome among the tertiles. Our findings indicated that as long as the caloric intake did not exceed that prescribed, the infant outcome remained satisfactory.