Feasibility of a Postpartum Lifestyle Intervention on the Cardiometabolic Risk Profile of GDM Women

The goal of the study is to investigate the effect of a lifestyle intervention program (adoption of exclusive breastfeeding, healthy diet and regular physical activity) on minimizing postpartum weight retention among women with recent GDM.

Women with a history of gestational diabetes (GDM) are characterized by increased risk for subsequent type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). These women are also characterized by higher body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference compared to women without prior GDM. Failure to lose the weight gained during pregnancy can lead to increased BMI for subsequent pregnancies. As such, the childbearing-age period has been described as a potential period of weight gain and represents a critical window for the development of obesity, T2D and CVD. Therefore, strategies aiming at preventing postpartum weight retention (WR) and early cardiometabolic alterations in women with a history of GDM are of paramount importance. Principal investigator have shown that a low diet quality score was associated with greater adiposity and lower insulin sensitivity in women with prior GDM. Furthermore, less than 10% of women with prior GDM met the recommendations for breastfeeding, nutrition, and physical activity. Investigators have shown that attitude and perceived behavioral control were significant predictors of the intention to adopt healthy eating. For those who did engage in healthy behaviors, lower prevalence of cardiometabolic alterations was observed, providing supportive evidence that the adoption of healthy behaviors may be key to prevent the progression to an altered cardiometabolic profile.