Quality of low-carbohydrate diets among Australian post-partum women: Cross-sectional analysis of a national population-based cohort study

Low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) are popular among people attempting weight loss and recommended for pregnant women with gestational diabetes (GDM), but they may increase health risks if nutritionally inadequate. We aimed to describe the dietary intake of post-partum women according to their relative carbohydrate intake, overall, and among women attempting weight loss or diagnosed with GDM in their recent pregnancy. This cross-sectional population-based cohort study included 2093 post-partum women aged 25-36 years who participated in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Relative carbohydrate intake was determined using a previously developed LCD score. Data were weighted to account for oversampling of women from rural/remote areas. More than half of women (n[weighted] = 1362, 66.3%) were trying to lose weight, and 4.6% (n[weighted]=88) had GDM in their recent pregnancy. Women with the lowest relative carbohydrate intake (LCD score quartile 4) consumed 36.8% of total energy intake from carbohydrates, and had a lower intake of refined grains, whole grains, fruit and fruit juice, and a higher intake of red and processed meat, compared with women with the highest relative carbohydrate intake (quartile 1). Different food groups, both healthy and unhealthy, were restricted depending on whether women were attempting weight loss and had recent GDM. These findings may reflect a lack of knowledge among post-partum women on carbohydrates and dietary guidelines. Health professionals may have an important role in providing advice and support for post-partum women who wish to restrict their carbohydrate intake, to ensure optimal diet quality.

carbohydrate quality, gestational diabetes, low-carbohydrate diet, post-partum, weight loss

10.1111/mcn.13502

1740-8695

Lewandowski, Sophie

39aa4b60-d2f2-45d7-b761-a6e019b64713

Neale, Elizabeth

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D'Arcy, Ellie

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Hodge, Allison M.

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Schoenaker, Danielle A.J.M.

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July 2023

Lewandowski, Sophie

39aa4b60-d2f2-45d7-b761-a6e019b64713

Neale, Elizabeth

bc0560ae-5ae8-443b-802c-0450d553042e

D'Arcy, Ellie

55b19f4b-c73c-4e0d-9be9-a53c43bbae7a

Hodge, Allison M.

d8188558-83b4-46d7-939d-4f7a7fb3f368

Schoenaker, Danielle A.J.M.

84b96b87-4070-45a5-9777-5a1e4e45e818

Lewandowski, Sophie, Neale, Elizabeth, D'Arcy, Ellie, Hodge, Allison M. and Schoenaker, Danielle A.J.M. (2023) Quality of low-carbohydrate diets among Australian post-partum women: Cross-sectional analysis of a national population-based cohort study. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 19 (3), [e13502]. (doi:10.1111/mcn.13502).

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Maternal Quality of low‐carbohydrate diets among Australian post‐partum women - Version of Record

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Accepted/In Press date: 1 March 2023

e-pub ahead of print date: 20 March 2023

Published date: July 2023

Additional Information: Funding Information: The research on which this paper is based was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, the University of Newcastle and the University of Queensland. We are grateful to the Australian Government Department of Health for funding and to the women who provided the survey data. The authors thank Professor Graham Giles of the Cancer Epidemiology Division of Cancer Council Victoria for permission to use the Dietary Questionnaire for Epidemiological Studies (version 2), Melbourne: Cancer Council Victoria, 1996. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. Danielle A. J. M. Schoenaker is supported by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Centre [IS‐BRC‐1215‐20004]). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. Funding Information: The research on which this paper is based was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, the University of Newcastle and the University of Queensland. We are grateful to the Australian Government Department of Health for funding and to the women who provided the survey data. The authors thank Professor Graham Giles of the Cancer Epidemiology Division of Cancer Council Victoria for permission to use the Dietary Questionnaire for Epidemiological Studies (version 2), Melbourne: Cancer Council Victoria, 1996. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. Danielle A. J. M. Schoenaker is supported by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Centre [IS-BRC-1215-20004]). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords: carbohydrate quality, gestational diabetes, low-carbohydrate diet, post-partum, weight loss