Gestational diabetes & diabetes in pregnancy
Early meal timing improves nocturnal glucose in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes
Authors' conclusion
These results suggest that meal timing, with an emphasis on earlier eating patterns, is a potential lifestyle intervention that can improve nocturnal interstitial glucose.
Study context
- Population
- Pregnant people with GDM randomised to self-capillary blood glucose (SCBG) with or without additional real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), with postprandial SCBG available to infer meal timing
- Participants
- 71 people
- Comparison
- Late vs early first meal
- Primary endpoint
- 24 h CGM glucose profiles
Methodological detailscosinor and linear analyses, adjusted for maternal and gestational age, medication usage, and primary study group assignment
- Cosinor and linear analyses
- Adjusted for maternal and gestational age, medication usage, and primary study group assignment
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
24 h CGM glucose rhythm (cosinor analysis); rhythm shifted earlier for Early eating
Group × time-of-day, 24 h component
0.09 mmol l-1 min-1
P < 0.001
Early eating vs Late eating
Group × time-of-day, 12 h component
0.04 mmol l-1 min-1
P < 0.001
Early eating vs Late eating
- Time-of-day, 24 h component
- −0.32 mmol l-1 min-1, p<0.001
- Time-of-day, 12 h component
- −0.11 mmol l-1 min-1, p<0.001
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime glucose | group effect 0.01 mmol/l | P = 0.950 |
| Nocturnal glucose · overnightLate eating vs Early eating | group effect 0.26 mmol/l | P = 0.023 |
| Nocturnal glucose · overnightEarly eating vs Late eating | group × time-of-day −0.01 mmol l-1 min-1 | P < 001 |
- Daytime glucose — Time-of-day effect
- 7.0 × 10-4 mmol l-1 min-1, p<0.001
- Nocturnal glucose — Overnight glucose decreased in both groups by approximately
- 0.67 ± 0.39 mmol/l
- Nocturnal glucose — Time-of-day effect
- −0.09 mmol l-1 min-1, p<0.001
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Early meal timing improves nocturnal glucose in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes. Diabetologia. Published 9 March 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →