The effect of high dietary fiber intake on gestational weight gain, fat accrual, and postpartum weight retention: a randomized clinical trial

• Published in: BMC pregnancy and childbirth Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 319 - 10
• Main Authors: Hull, Holly R., Herman, Amy, Gibbs, Heather, Gajewski, Byron, Krase, Kelli, Carlson, Susan E., Sullivan, Debra K., Goetz, Jeannine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 24.05.2020; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Behavior; Body fat; Body Mass Index; Clinical trials; Curricula; Diet; Dietary fiber; Dietary Fiber - therapeutic use; Dietitians; Energy Intake; Excessive weight gain; Female; Gestational diabetes; Gestational Weight Gain; Goal setting; Gynecology; High fiber; Humans; Inflammation; Intervention; Maternal and Child Health; Maternal health and pregnancy; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolism; Microbiota; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - diet therapy; Overweight; Overweight - diet therapy; Pilot Projects; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - diet therapy; Recipes; Reproductive Medicine; Research Article; Single goal intervention; Success; Weight control; Womens health; United States > US; Pregnancy; Single goal intervention; High fiber; Excessive weight gain; Body fat; Dietary fiber
• ISSN: 1471-2393; 1471-2393
• DOI: 10.1186/s12884-020-03016-5

Background Interventions to prevent excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) have had limited success This pilot study examined the effectiveness of a single goal (SG) high dietary fiber intervention to prevent excessive GWG. Methods Twelve weekly lessons focused on consuming a high fiber diet (≥30 g/day). Snacks containing 10–12 g of dietary fiber were given for the first 6 weeks only. Body composition was measured at baseline and at the end of the intervention. At one-year postpartum, body weight retention and dietary practices were assessed. A p -value is reported for the primary analysis only. For all other comparisons, Cohen’s d is reported to indicate effect size. Results The SG group increased fiber intake during the study (32 g/day at 6 weeks, 27 g/day at 12 weeks), whereas the UC group did not (~ 17 g/day). No differences were found for the proportion of women classified as excessive gainers ( p  = 0.13). During the intervention, the SG group gained less body weight (− 4.1 kg) and less fat mass (− 2.8 kg) (d = 1.3). At 1 year postpartum, the SG group retained less weight (0.35 vs. 4.4 kg, respectively, d = 1.8), and reported trying to currently eat high fiber foods. Conclusion The SG intervention resulted in less weight gain, fat accrual, and weight retention at 1 year postpartum. A residual intervention effect was detected postpartum with the participants reporting continued efforts to consume a high fiber diet. Trial registration NCT03984630 ; Trial registered June 13, 2019 (retrospectively registered).