Weight gain and body composition during pregnancy: a randomised pilot trial with probiotics and/or fish oil

We evaluated the effects of fish oil and/or probiotic supplementation in a randomised placebo-controlled intervention pilot trial on gestational weight gain (GWG) and body composition. Additionally, the influence of gestational diabetes (GDM) on GWG and body composition was assessed. We randomised 439 overweight women into intervention groups: fish oil + placebo, probiotics + placebo, fish oil + probiotics and placebo + placebo (fish oil: 1 center dot 9 g DHA and 0 center dot 22 g EPA and probiotics: Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis 420, 10(10) colony-forming units each). GDM was diagnosed with oral glucose tolerance test. Body composition was measured with air displacement plethysmography at randomisation (mean 13 center dot 9) and in late pregnancy (mean 35 center dot 2 gestational weeks). Intervention did not influence mean GWG or change in body fat mass/percentage (P > 0 center dot 17). Body composition in early pregnancy did not differ between the women who did or did not develop GDM (adjusted P > 0 center dot 23). Compared with the normoglycaemic women (n 278), women diagnosed with GDM (n 119) gained less weight (7 center dot 7 (sd 0 center dot 4) v. 9 center dot 3 (sd 0 center dot 4) kg, adjusted mean difference -1 center dot 66 (95 % CI -2 center dot 52, -0 center dot 80) and fat mass (0 center dot 4 (sd 0 center dot 4) v. 1 center dot 8 (sd 0 center dot 3) kg, adjusted mean difference -1 center dot 43 (95 % CI -2 center dot 19, -0 center dot 67) during the follow-up. In conclusion, adiposity of pregnant overweight women was not affected by supplementation with fish oil and/or probiotics, nor did it predict the development of GDM. However, adiposity was reduced in women with GDM compared with normoglycaemic women irrespective of the dietary intervention.