Research Paper Title

Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Prospective Cohort Study.

Study Question

Is a healthy lifestyle profile before pregnancy associated with a reduced risk of gestational diabetes?

Summary Answer

Compared with women who did not meet any of the low risk factors assessed (healthy body weight, healthy diet, regular exercise, and not smoking), those who met all four criteria had an 83% lower risk of gestational diabetes.

What is Known and What this Paper Adds

Although several potentially modifiable factors of gestational diabetes have been identified, the joint effect of them is unknown. This study suggests that adherence to a healthy lifestyle profile before pregnancy is associated with a substantially lower risk, which applies to both normal weight and overweight/obese women.

Reference

Zhang, C., Tobias, D.K., Chavarro, J.E., Bao, W., Wang., D., Ley, S.H. & Hu, F.B. (2014) Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Prospective Cohort Study. BMJ 2014;349:g5450.