A recent review of over 100 research papers suggests that pregnant women may benefit from more support from qualified dietitians in controlling weight gain during pregnancy.

A meta-analysis of nearly 35,000 individuals from 99 studies published in JAMA Network Open discovered that interventions from allied health professionals like dietitians were the most beneficial for managing gestational weight gain (GWG).

Spanning 30 years of international evidence, the research team including maternal health expert Professor Shakila Thangaratinam from the University of Birmingham identified that between 6 and 20 sessions on a one-to-one basis were most effective.

Those sessions need to consider practical elements of pregnancy including nausea which may affect food and vegetable consumption, as well as cravings and fatigue.

The team also found less evidence for the exercise component of weight management during pregnancy and plans to manage weight gain that includes exercise need to be carried out over a longer period of time over 20 weeks.

Professor Shakila Thangaratinam, Dame Hilda Lloyd Chair of Maternal and Perinatal Health at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the paper said: "Weight gain during pregnancy is a normal process but the old adage that expectant mums are 'eating for two' and don't need to worry about weight gain can lead to health consequences for mum and baby. We know that excessive gestational weight gain increases the risks of the development of diabetes and other complications.

"This study set about to encapsulate 30 years of evidence on what works well and not, and we found that experts in their fields such as dietitians were most effective at supporting healthy weight gain. Other interventions were also found to have some success but need to be started soon into the journey of pregnancy."

Cheryce L. Harrison, BBNSc, PhD, senior research fellow and co-lead of the Healthy Lifestyle Stream at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues said:

"In a secondary analysis of our 2022 systematic review reporting on the association of lifestyle interventions with efficacy in optimising gestational weight gain, this meta-analysis aims to elucidate and describe components of antenatal lifestyle interventions that are associated with optimised gestational weight gain within published randomised clinical trials, providing critical and pragmatic information for implementations of trials in antenatal care settings."