The Healthy Gut Diet for Preventing Gestational Diabetes Improves Dietary Intake and Diet Quality

Introduction and Objective: Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota influences gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) development. Dietary interventions to modulate gut microbiota may help prevent GDM. The Healthy Gut Diet for preventing GDM Study aimed to achieve this in pregnant women with one or more risk factors. Here, we share dietary intake and diet quality results. Methods: This pilot single-blind, two-arm randomised control trial in Queensland, Australia, compared dietary intervention with usual care. Women in the intervention group received dietetic education to increase intake of foods improving gut microbiota health. Baseline and 36-week dietary intakes were assessed using the Australian Eating Survey and a Modified Short Dietary Questionnaire. Results: We randomised 129 women between 9- and 18-weeks’ gestation. Baseline characteristics and dietary intakes showed no significant differences between groups (Table 1). However, dietary quality significantly improved in the intervention group, with higher vegetable, meat alternatives, fermented, and prebiotic food intake than controls. Conclusion: The HGD study successfully improved diet quality, diversity of plant-based foods and fermented and prebiotic food intakes in the intervention group compared with the control group at thirty-six-week gestation. Disclosure: H.M. O'Connor: None. S.J. de Jersey: None. S. Wilkinson: None. N.J. Meloncelli: None. Funding: Office of Research and Innovation