Resumen de Low-Carbohydrate Diet for the Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus:: A randomized controlled trial
Cristina Moreno Castilla, Marta Hernández García, Mercè de Bergua i Llop, Maria C. Ávarez, Maria A. Arce, Karen Rodriguez, Montserrat Martínez Alonso, Montserrat Iglesias, Magdalena Mateu, María Dolores Santos Rey, Linda R. Pacheco, Yolanda Blasco, Eva Martín, Nuria Balsells, Nuria Aranda Pons, Didac Mauricio Puente
Medical nutrition therapy based on the control of the amount and distribution of carbohydrates (CHO) is the initial treatment for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but there is a need for randomized controlled trials comparing different dietary strategies. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a low-CHO diet for the treatment of GDM would lead to a lower rate of insulin treatment with similar pregnancy outcomes compared with a control diet. A total of 152 women with GDM were included in this open, randomized controlled trial and assigned to follow either a diet with low-CHO content (40% of the total diet energy content as CHO) or a control diet (55% of the total diet energy content as CHO). CHO intake was assessed by 3-day food records. The main pregnancy outcomes were also assessed. The rate of women requiring insulin was not significantly different between the treatment groups (low CHO 54.7% vs. control 54.7%; P = 1). Daily food records confirmed a difference in the amount of CHO consumed between the groups (P = 0.0001). No differences were found in the obstetric and perinatal outcomes between the treatment groups. Treatment of women with GDM using a low-CHO diet did not reduce the number of women needing insulin and produced similar pregnancy outcomes. In GDM, CHO amount (40 vs. 55% of calories) did not influence insulin need or pregnancy outcomes.
