Objective: To investigate the situation of women's dietary glycemic load during pregnancy and explore the correlations between dietary glycemic index(GI) and gestational weight gain and fetal physical development.
Methods: The study was conducted in women in the third trimester of pregnancy and their new-born babies. The gestational dietary information was collected through a 3-day 24-hour dietary review. The general demographic information, diet and physical exercise, and weight were collected in questionnaire investigations, and the glycemic load during pregnancy were calculated. Participant were dived into low-glycemic-load group, middle-glycemic-load group and high-glycemic-load group according to the glycemic load. Gestational weigh gain, birth weight and birth length were measured. Multiple linear regression were used to analyze the relationship between glycemic load during pregnancy and gestational weight gain and fetal growth.
Results: The mean gestational glycemic load was 149.21±46.33. Women in high-glycemic-load group had higher intake of grain, potato, bacteria and algae, fruit, poultry and dairy but lower intake of aquatic product(P<0.05). The mean gestational weight gain was(15.03±4.35)kg. The mean fetal weight and birth length was(3229.18±375.09)g and(49.60±1.48)cm. Women in high-glycemic-load group had higher gestational weight gain(P<0.05). Multiple linear regression indicated that dietary glycemic load during pregnancy was postively correlated with gestational weight gain and birth length(β_1=0.011, β=0.003, P<0.05).
Conclusion: The higher dietary glycemic load during pregnancy is, the higher gestational weight gain and birth length will be.
Keywords: fetal growth; gestational weight gain; glycemic load during pregnancy.