Brain responses to food cue viewing in pregnant women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus

Background Pregnancy-induced food cravings are associated with excessive gestational weight gain and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study aimed to measure brain responses to food pictures with varying fat and carbohydrate content during pregnancy in women with and without GDM. Methods To characterize brain-metabolism coupling, we recorded visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in pregnant individuals with and without GDM (24-36 weeks gestation) while they viewed food pictures varying in fat and carbohydrate content. Eighteen women with untreated GDM and 21 healthy pregnant controls participated. HbA1c levels were obtained from blood samples. Statistical analyses assessed group differences and interactions. Results Within the initial ~150 ms post-stimulus onset, VEPs exhibited Group × Fat ( p = 0.047, ηp 2 = 0.103), but no Group × Carb, interactions: Healthy pregnant controls showed stronger responses to images of high- versus low-fat foods, whereas individuals with GDM did not. Source estimations localized these effects to brain regions associated with control, attention, and reward. Moreover, brain responses correlated with HbA1c levels in GDM ( p = 0.01, ηp 2 = 0.351), but not with pre-pregnancy BMI in either group. Conclusion These results provide evidence of links between spatiotemporal brain responses to visual food cues and metabolic health in pregnancy.