Last updated May 16, 2026
Key finding
Mediterranean diet may reduce gestational diabetes risk by 40% in Hispanic women.
This study tested whether a Mediterranean diet could prevent gestational diabetes in Hispanic pregnant women. Researchers enrolled 600 Hispanic women early in pregnancy. Some received Mediterranean diet guidance with free olive oil and pistachios. Others got standard dietary advice to limit fat intake. Women following the Mediterranean diet had much lower rates of gestational diabetes. Only 15% developed it, compared to 26% in the standard care group. They also had better blood sugar control and fewer pregnancy complications. The benefits were consistent and meaningful. The study shows this dietary approach works well for preventing gestational diabetes in Hispanic women.
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EvidenceScore™
Moderate
Study type
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)
Follow-up
Medium-Term (3–12 mo)
Risk of bias
Some Concerns
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Plain-language summary
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Study focus
Mediterranean diet may reduce gestational diabetes risk by 40% in Hispanic women.
Published in
Publication details and source links for this paper.
Melero V, García de la Torre N, Assaf-Balut C, et al. Effect of a Mediterranean Diet-Based Nutritional Intervention on the Risk of Developing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Other Maternal-Fetal Adverse Events in Hispanic Women Residents in Spain. Nutrients. 2020;12(11):3505. doi:10.3390/nu12113505
Gestational diabetes → ↓ (strong reduction)
Blood sugar control → ↓ (moderate improvement)
Pregnancy complications → ↓ (moderate reduction)
Pregnant Hispanic women, particularly those at higher risk for gestational diabetes
Participants knew which diet they were following, which could affect results
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Relationships organized using the Dediabetes Evidence Intelligence™ framework.
This study contributes to evidence on Mediterranean diet and Diabetes Incidence and Prevention.
This study contributes to the evidence on the following intervention-outcome relationships.
Diet and Nutrition
Curated evidence collections and hubs this study is part of.
All studies measuring Diabetes Incidence and Prevention
Measures Diabetes Incidence and Prevention as a key outcome.
All studies on Mediterranean diet
Contributes to Mediterranean diet evidence base.
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1 results
1 results
1 results
Generated from the study's connected evidence using Evidence Intelligence™.
Mediterranean diet has been studied in relation to Gestational diabetes mellitus incidence, but the direction of effect is unclear.
ConsistencyScore™: Consistency cannot yet be determined from the available evidence.
Ranked evidence signals
Gestational diabetes mellitus incidence
EvidenceScore™ Emerging | EvidenceScore™ 59.0 | unknown | ConsistencyScore™ Unclear | 1 study
Why this answer: This answer is based on a single supporting study.
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