Positive Health Online

Abstract

LEY and COLLEAGUES,  (1)Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada investigated whether dietary vitamin E intake during the second trimester of pregnancy would be associated with glucose metabolism later in pregnancy.

Background

Beneficial effects of vitamin E on insulin sensitivity have been reported in observational and short-term intervention studies in non-pregnant populations. The authors set out to investigate whether dietary vitamin E intake during the second trimester would be associated with glucose metabolism later in pregnancy and whether this association would be influenced by an insulin-sensitizing hormone adiponectin.

Methodology

Women with singleton pregnancies (n=205) underwent a 3-h oral glucose tolerance test at 30 weeks gestation and were asked to recall second trimester dietary intake.

Results

Higher dietary vitamin E intake was associated with lower fasting glucose, lower Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) insulin resistance, and higher Matsuda insulin sensitivity index after covariate adjustment including serum adiponectin among women consuming daily multivitamin supplements (all P≤0.03).

Conclusion

Lower dietary vitamin E intake during the second trimester is associated with hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance later in pregnancy among women consuming daily multivitamin supplementations. Further, these associations are not influenced by adiponectin.

References

Ley SH(1), Hanley AJ, Sermer M, Zinman B, O'Connor DL. Lower dietary vitamin E intake during the second trimester is associated with insulin resistance and hyperglycemia later in pregnancy. Eur J Clin Nutr. 67(11):1154-6. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.185. Nov 2013. Epub Sep 25 2013.