Plant-based diets may lower gestational diabetes risk

Women who eat a plant-based diet before becoming pregnant may have a lower risk of developing gestational diabetes, according to new findings from researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Frank Qian, a researcher in the Department of Nutrition, presented the findings during the virtual American Diabetes Association (ADA) 80th Scientific Sessions in June 2020.

Gestational diabetes occurs in 7.6% of pregnancies in the U.S. and is linked to long-term risk of cardiometabolic disorders in mothers and with obesity and other metabolic disorders in children.

“It is crucial to identify novel modifiable risk factors that we can act on to prevent gestational diabetes,” Qian said in a June 18 Medscape article.

Read Medscape article: Gestational Diabetes Cut With Plant-Based Diet Before Pregnancy