158-OR: Periconceptional and First Trimester Ultraprocessed Food Intake and Gestational Diabetes Risk

Abstract

Background: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are linked with higher risk of type 2 diabetes via mechanisms that impair both insulin secretion and sensitivity. However, associations with gestational diabetes (GDM) have not been studied in a large prospective cohort of pregnant women.Methods: Women with singleton pregnancies (n=1948) completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at 8-13 weeks of gestation reflecting diet in the past 3 months. The outcomes - glucose challenge test and GDM diagnosis - were extracted from medical records. Quantity of intake (grams/day) of foods and beverages identified as UPFs was ranked into quartiles. Adjusted associations of UPF quartiles with outcomes were estimated using linear and log-binomial regression. Analyses were also stratified by family history of diabetes to examine associations in women at different levels of GDM risk.Results: Median UPF intake in the sample was 1139 grams/day. Periconceptional and first trimester UPF intake was not associated with 1-hour glucose or GDM. Analyses stratified by family history were also null (Table).Conclusion: Maternal UPF intake was not associated with GDM, regardless of family history of diabetes. UPF may not be a dietary risk factor for GDM, but the cohort’s low-risk profile and difficulties in identifying UPF items from FFQs may also explain the lack of associations.View largeDownload slideView largeDownload slide DisclosureS. F. Yisahak: None. S. Hinkle: None. S. L. Mumford: None. K. Grantz: None. C. Zhang: None. J. Grewal: None. FundingEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development