Effects of Complementary and Alternative Therapy of Mindfulness on Blood Sugar and Inflammatory Biomarkers and Adipokines in Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background The incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains high, and it is prevalent all over the world. The incidence of GDM in China is up to 14.8%. Intrauterine hyperglycemia during pregnancy is a severe threat to maternal and neonatal health. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of mindfulness-based complementary and alternative therapy for GDM. Methods This study selected 64 pregnant women with GDM undergoing routine outpatient prenatal examination in Changsha Central Hospital by using convenience sampling from March to December 2021. These patients were randomly assigned into the intervention group (n=31) and the control group (n=33) . The control group received routine psychologicalgcare, nutritional guidance and exercise guidance. The intervention group received 8 weeks of mindfulness-based complementary and alternative therapy on the basis of routine psychological care. This study collected the baseline characteristics and compared the blood sugar and inflammatory biomarkers and adipokines, followed-up neonatal outcomes (birth weight, random blood sugar) . Results The fasting blood sugar level, 1-hour blood sugar, 2-hour blood sugar and the expression of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-α and vaspin were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05) . After the intervention, the fasting blood sugar, 1-hour blood sugar, 2-hour blood sugar, and the expression of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-α and vaspin in the experiment group were lower than those before the intervention (P<0.05) . The pre-delivey weight, pre-delivery BMI, gestational weight gain, pre-delivey HbA1c, birth weight of newborns of pregnant women with GDM in the intervention group were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05) , and the random blood sugar of the intervention group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05) . Conclusion The 8 weeks of mindfulness-based complementary and alternative therapy reduced body mass index, effectively controlled blood sugar, reduced expression of inflammatory biomarkers and adipokines, and reduced the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia.

Keywords

• diabetes, gestational|complementary and alternative medicine|mindfulness|inflammation|adipokines|tumor necrosis factor &#x03b1;