London and Birmingham, England.
Women who ate a Mediterranean-style diet — including 30 grams of mixed nuts per day and extra-virgin olive oil — had a 35% lower risk for developing diabetes in pregnancy (“gestational diabetes”) and gained 2.75 pounds less, on average, than others.
The findings suggest that a Mediterranean-style diet could benefit women who are obese, or who have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol (lipid) levels before conceiving, according to the authors. The study was published July 23 in the journal PLOS Medicine.
“This is the first study to show that pregnant women at high risk of complications may benefit from a Mediterranean-style diet to reduce their weight gain and risk of gestational diabetes,” said study author Shakila Thangaratinam. She is a professor of maternal and perinatal health at Queen Mary University of London.
Thangaratinam said in a university news release that women who are at risk of gestational diabetes should be encouraged to adopt a
