In my clinic and my online pregnancy course, I cannot stress enough that expecting moms need adequate, healthy food throughout the day. Now, recent research highlights the impact of maternal diet quality – and, importantly, when you eat – on your baby’s long-term metabolic health, specifically the risk of insulin resistance in early childhood.
Researchers assessed the dietary habits of mothers at 26–28 weeks’ gestation using the modified Healthy Eating Index (HEI-SGP) and examined the impact of predominant night-eating (PNE)—defined as consuming over 50% of daily calories between 7 PM and 7 AM, a pattern I see when women are over-restricting during the day and then compensating at night. The analysis included up to 758 mother-child pairs and found that lower maternal diet quality was linked to higher levels of insulin resistance in children at age six. Additionally, maternal night-eating behavior was associated with increased insulin resistance, particularly among boys and those with lower diet quality.
The findings underscore the importance of both the quality and timing of maternal diets during pregnancy, suggesting that poor dietary habits and night-eating can negatively influence a child’s metabolic health. While I don’t recommend any kind of strict intermittent fasting in pregnancy, this research emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to improve dietary practices among pregnant women to support long-term health outcomes for their children, and the importance of consuming good quality foods – especially during the daytime hours.
If you are hungry for more evidence-based information in your pregnancy, sign up for my free webinar: 7 Pregnancy Myths Debunked – and get the information you need to have a healthy pregnancy and a thriving baby.
And if you are a care-provider looking for evidence-based resources for your pregnant patients, please get in touch with us at support@myhealthypregnancyplan.com.
In health,
Dr Jocelyn Land-Murphy, ND
Terra Life
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References:
Chen, L. (2024). Maternal pregnancy diet quality, night eating, and offspring metabolic health: the GUSTO study. Pediatric Research.