Antenatal Determinants of Childhood Obesity in High-Risk Offspring: Protocol for the DiGest Follow-Up Study

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Pediatrics
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a significant global health concern.
• Pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes are linked to increased offspring obesity risk.
• Effective prenatal interventions to mitigate this risk are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if a reduced-calorie diet during pregnancy decreases offspring adiposity up to age three.
• To assess the long-term impact of a specific dietary intervention on maternal and infant metabolic health.
• To identify associations between prenatal nutrition and childhood obesity development.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial (DiGest study) involving pregnant women with gestational diabetes.
• Intervention group receives a weekly whole-diet replacement reduced-calorie dietbox until delivery.
• Follow-up includes anthropometry, infant C-peptide, and maternal glucose monitoring (CGM, HbA1c) at multiple time points up to three years post-birth.

Main Results:

• Data collection ongoing; primary results not yet available.
• The study is designed to provide robust data on the efficacy of prenatal dietary interventions.
• Analysis will correlate maternal glycaemia, nutrition, infant birthweight, and feeding behaviors with offspring adiposity.

Conclusions:

• The DiGest follow-up study aims to determine the long-term benefits of a reduced-calorie prenatal diet on childhood adiposity.
• Findings are expected to inform future strategies for preventing childhood obesity.
• This research addresses a critical gap in evidence-based prenatal interventions for metabolic health.