Associations of maternal dietary insulin index and dietary insulin load with gestational age at delivery and neonatal anthropometric measurements in pregnant women from Khorramshahr, Iran

Maternal insulin demand changes substantially during pregnancy, and dietary insulinogenic potential may influence fetal growth. However, evidence regarding the associations of the Dietary Insulin Index (DII) and Dietary Insulin Load (DIL) with birth outcomes remains limited and inconsistent. Therefore, this study examined the associations between maternal DII and DIL during pregnancy and gestational age at delivery, birth weight, birth length, and neonatal head circumference. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 140 pregnant women from Khorramshahr, Iran, were enrolled. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), from which Dietary Insulin Index (DII) and Dietary Insulin Load (DIL) were calculated. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Birth outcomes were obtained from medical records. Associations between DII, DIL, and birth outcomes were examined using correlation analyses and multivariable regression models adjusted for maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, physical activity, total energy intake, and neonatal gender. The mean maternal age was 28.04 ± 6.47 years, and the mean daily energy intake was 2,611.7 ± 617.8 kcal. The mean DIL and DII values were 67,854 ± 13,318 and 26.57 ± 4.18, respectively. Neither DIL nor DII was significantly associated with birth weight, birth length, neonatal head circumference, or gestational age at delivery in either correlation or adjusted multivariable regression analyses (all P > 0.05). These findings suggest that the insulinogenic potential of the maternal diet was not independently associated with the evaluated birth outcomes in this population. Larger prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings.