The Prevention of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus With Antenatal Oral Inositol Supplementation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
What this study found
The inositol plus folate regimen did not prevent gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurred in 23.3% (28/120) of the intervention group versus 18.3% (22/120) of controls, P = 0.34, and fasting glucose was 81 mg/dL in both groups at the OGTT; 1-hour glucose was 138.6 vs 133.2 mg/dL (P = 0.42) and 2-hour glucose was 102.6 vs 97.2 mg/dL (P = 0.07). Most maternal and neonatal outcomes were similar, including birth weight, caesarean delivery, and NICU admission. Neonatal hypoglycemia was more frequent with inositol plus folate (9 [8%] vs 1 [1%], P = 0.01), and the authors concluded this…
- Study & population
- Randomized, parallel-group, single-center trial in Ireland enrolling pregnant women at their first antenatal visit who were at increased risk of gestational diabetes because of a family history of diabetes.
- Intervention
- Pregnant participants in the active arm received an oral inositol regimen started at the first antenatal visit (10-16 weeks' gestation): myo-inositol 1,100 mg daily plus D-chiro-inositol 27.6 g daily, together with folic acid 400 mcg daily.
- Key limitation
- Only one inositol dose and timing strategy was tested, so the findings do not exclude benefit from higher or different dosing.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
OBJECTIVE This study investigated if inositol in a combination of myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol would prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in women with a family history of diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a randomized controlled trial that examined whether inositol from the first antenatal visit prevents GDM. The trial was carried out in a single-center tertiary referral center. Women with a family history of diabetes were enrolled at the first antenatal visit. They were randomized to the intervention group, which received a combination of 1,100 mg myo-inositol, 27.6 mg D-chiro-inositol, and 400 μg folic acid, or to the control group, which received 400 μg folic acid only. All women had an oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and 28 weeks' gestation. The primary end point was the incidence of GDM. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS Statistical Package version 20. RESULTS Two hundred forty women, 120 in each arm, were recruited between January 2014 and July 2015. There were no differences in characteristics between the groups. The incidence of GDM was 23.3% (n = 28) in the intervention group compared with 18.3% (n = 22) in the control group (P = 0.34). The mean fasting plasma glucose at the glucose tolerance test was 81 mg/dL in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Commencing an inositol combination in early pregnancy did not prevent GDM in women with a family history of diabetes. Further studies are required to examine whether inositol supplements at varying doses may prevent GDM.