Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pregnant women face a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) due to the poor dietary habits. GDM can influence the health of both mothers and child. As food processing develops, pregnant women inevitably consume artificial sweeteners, among with the three most common are sucralose, aspartame, and sodium saccharin. It is a concern whether artificial sweeteners consumed during pregnancy increases GDM risk. PURPOSE: To analyze the association between artificial sweetener consumption during pregnancy and the incidence of GDM. METHODS: 422 pregnant women from a Guangdong hospital were surveyed through convenience sampling. The questionnaire collected general information, artificial sweeteners consumption and other GDM related factors. According to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG), GDM was diagnosed was met the 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at any time of pregnancy. The consumption of artificial sweeteners was categorized into low and high-consumption groups according to a four-point scale. A multifactorial logistic regression model was used to control for confounders and analyze the association between artificial sweetener consumption andGDM. RESULTS: This study included 422 pregnant women with a mean age of (32 ± 3.73) years and a GDM incidence of 13.74%. The GDM incidence was higher in the high artificial sweeteners consumption group (56.90%), than in the low consumption group (43.10%) (p < 0.05). Increased artificial sweetener consumption was linked to a higher GDM risk (OR=2.66,95% CI: 1.48-1.78). High artificial sweeteners consumption was a GDM risk factor in BMI-stratified analyses. CONCLUSION: High consumption of artificial sweeteners, like sucralose, aspartame, and sodium saccharin, is linked to increased risk of GDM in pregnant women. Further research is required to confirm results and explore mechanism, guiding healthy eating habits during pregnancy.