Key result
Compared with standard care, postnatal dietary interventions reduced BMI, waist circumference, weight, HOMA-IR, and HbA1c in women with prior GDM.
Why the study?
Gestational diabetes mellitus confers substantial long-term cardiometabolic risk, but the benefits of postpartum dietary interventions on cardiometabolic profiles remain unclear.
Do postpartum dietary interventions improve cardiometabolic profiles in women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus?
Meta-Analysis
Do postpartum dietary interventions improve cardiometabolic profiles in women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus?
Postpartum dietary interventions yield modest but statistically significant improvements in key cardiometabolic indicators (BMI, weight, HOMA-IR, HbA1c) among women with prior GDM.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports incorporating dietary interventions into postpartum care for women with prior GDM; extends randomized evidence on cardiometabolic benefits.
BACKGROUND Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) confers substantial long-term cardiometabolic risk. The postpartum period represents a critical window for intervention, but the benefits of dietary interventions on cardiometabolic profiles in women with prior GDM remain unclear. PURPOSE To evaluate whether postpartum dietary interventions improved cardiometabolic profiles in women with GDM. DATA SOURCES Six databases were searched from 1 January 1980–31 December 2025. STUDY SELECTION Twenty-one randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met inclusion criteria. DATA EXTRACTION Data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. DATA SYNTHESIS Meta-analyses pooled mean differences (MDs) with 95% CIs using a random-effects model. Intermediate cardiometabolic surrogate markers, such as BMI, waist circumference, weight, fasting and 2-h blood glucose, HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, lipids, and inflammatory biomarkers were evaluated. The meta-analysis included 19 RCTs (participants were aged 18–45 years; sample size: 23 to 1,639; follow-up: 12 weeks–3 years). Compared with standard care, postnatal dietary interventions significantly reduced BMI (MD −0.46 kg/m2; 95% CI −0.71, −0.20), waist circumference (−1.47 cm; −2.39, −0.55), weight (−0.73 kg; −1.19, −0.27), HOMA-IR (−0.55; −1.04, −0.06), and HbA1c (−0.24%; −0.46, −0.02). No improvements were found for other markers. LIMITATIONS Heterogeneity across studies, variable adherence to counseling-based interventions, and comprehensive standard postpartum care may have limited observed effects. CONCLUSIONS Postpartum dietary interventions yield modest but statistically significant improvements in key cardiometabolic indicators among women with prior GDM without overt disease, highlighting the postpartum period as an important window to optimize intermediate cardiometabolic markers.
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Phee et al. (2026) conducted a meta-analysis in Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Postpartum dietary interventions vs. Standard care was evaluated on BMI (MD -0.46, 95% CI -0.71, -0.20). Compared with standard care, postnatal dietary interventions reduced BMI, waist circumference, weight, HOMA-IR, and HbA1c in women with prior GDM.
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