Prospective cohort study of pre-pregnancy sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a lack of research evidence on the association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in China. ObjectiveTo explore the association between frequency of SSB consumption before pregnancy and risk of GDM in pregnant women in Shaanxi Province, and to provide a scientific basis for targeted interventions to control maternal blood glucose. MethodsThe recruitment to the China Birth Cohort study started in October 2020. Pregnant women at 6-16 weeks who had their first prenatal examination at five hospitals in Shaanxi Province were recruited. A maternal health questionnaire was used to collect basic information about pregnant women. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to collect the consumption of carbonated beverages, fruit and vegetable juice beverages, coffee beverages, and milk tea beverages in one year before pregnancy, which were summed to obtain the SSB consumption. Pregnant women were divided into three groups according to SSB consumption, namely 0.05) between SSB consumption and maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, or first labor or not. For each additional SSB consumption per day, the risk of GDM increased by 94% (OR=1.94, 95%CI: 1.37, 2.75); and the maternal OGTT 1-hour glucose and 2-hour glucose increased by 0.33 mmol·L−1 and 0.18 mmol·L−1, respectively (P0.05). ConclusionHigher SSB consumption before pregnancy increases the risk of GDM in pregnant women.

Keywords

• pregnant woman
• sugar-sweetened beverage
• gestational diabetes mellitus
• cohort study