Studies examining the effects of a high-protein/low-glycemic-index diet during pregnancy on offspring body composition and metabolic health

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the discussion and stated research gap and future-work section of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 3 journals. Those papers have been cited 27 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• Associations of Maternal Nutritional Status and Supplementation with Fetal, Newborn, and Infant Outcomes in Low-Income and Middle-Income Settings: An Overview of Reviews (2024) · Nutrients · cited 27× · doi

  (2) During early pregnancy, whereas the impact of fruits and vegetables showed mixed results, stronger evidence was found on the impact of maternal anemia or high Hb and low vitamin B12 status on adverse neonatal outcomes (PTB, LBW, SGA, stillbirth, neonatal mortality). This overview or review highlighted limited information on associations between maternal nutritional status or supplementation in the preconception period, early and late pregnancy, and during postpartum or lactation with offspring outcomes in LMICs. On the other hand, although associations of vitamin D deficiency with PTB and LBW have been reported, there is limited evidence from LMICs. Even if there is some evidence of the beneficial effects of fruits and green leafy vegetable intake during pregnancy for improving birthweight [46,55], there is a gap in research studying dietary intakes during pregnancy and adverse outcomes, specifically targeting important groups of macro and micronutrients. Also, healthy dietary patterns such as the alternate Mediterranean diet and dietary approaches to stop hypertension are able to improve neonatal outcomes such as birth weight, birth length [83], and PTB [84] in the US, but studies in LMICs are lacking.

  generaldiscussion
  Keywords: pregnancy outcomes evidence neonatal lmics there dietary early impact fruits maternal vitamin status adverse limited
• Maternal high-protein/low-glycemic-index diet during pregnancy impairs offspring lipid profile–a randomized controlled trial (2026) · European Journal of Nutrition · doi

  There is a lack of studies examining the effects of a high-protein/low-glycemic-index diet during pregnancy on offspring body composition and metabolic health. The effects of maternal diet on offspring health are not well understood. There is a need for more research on the effects of dietary interventions during pregnancy on offspring health.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: there lack studies examining effects high-protein low-glycemic-index diet
• Maternal Kafeterya Diyeti ve Omega-3 Takviyesi: Yetişkinlikte Metabolizma ve Davranış Üzerine Etkiler (2026) · Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi · doi

  Future research should examine the effects of other types of maternal diet or supplementation on offspring's metabolic parameters. Future research should investigate the mechanisms by which maternal diet and omega-3 supplementation affect offspring's health. Future research should develop nutritional interventions for pregnant women to improve offspring's health.

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: future research examine effects other types maternal diet

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