Effects of pre-pregnancy dairy consumption on gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study among Chinese women.

BACKGROUND

The consumption of dairy products has been suggested to be associated with the prevention of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes. However, it is unclear whether dairy consumption has a protective effect on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study aimed to investigate the prospective associations between pre-pregnancy dairy consumption and risk of GDM among Chinese women.

METHODS

A total of 1,012 women aged 18-40 years were enrolled from a prospective cohort between 2022 and 2024. Dairy consumption 1 year before pregnancy was collected by food frequency questionnaire. To screen for GDM, participants were scheduled for an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 24-28 weeks of gestation. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses were conducted to analyze the associations between dairy consumption and risk of GDM.

RESULTS

During the follow-up, 126 (12.5%) were diagnosed with GDM. Compared with non-consumers of room-temperature-storage yogurt, women in the highest tertile of consumption had 2.64-fold higher odds of GDM (OR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.25-5.38) after adjusting for potential confounders. In subgroup analyses, the positive associations between room-temperature-storage yogurt consumption and risk of GDM were observed in women who were 30 years and older, whose pre-pregnancy BMI was lower than 24.0 kg/m2, and who were multiparas. No significant association was found for consumption of total dairy, whole milk, low-fat milk, refrigerated yogurt, or pregnant milk powder.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that higher consumption of room-temperature-storage yogurt before pregnancy might be a risk factor for GDM. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying associations and mechanisms between dairy consumption and GDM.