Using the Food Metabolome to Understand the Relationship Between Maternal Diet and Gestational Diabetes

Maternal diet has been associated with the development and progression of GDM and as a result, provides a great avenue for exploring prevention strategies. However, the current state of the literature investigating maternal diet and GDM relies heavily on observational studies and, as a whole, is inconclusive and in some instances, conflicting. To better understand the relationship between maternal diet and GDM, a less subjective measure needs to be established. Metabolomics, the study of low-weight organic molecules, is an analytical approach that can be used to objectively identify diet-related biomarkers of GDM. The identification of diet-related biomarkers of GDM could lead to the development of personalised nutrition strategies for the prevention of GDM and its associated consequences. This chapter outlines the growing problem of GDM, and proposes the analysis of the food metabolome (the sum of the detectable metabolites found in the human system as a result of the ingestion and digestion of food components) for identifying dietary biomarkers of GDM, as well as elucidating the mechanisms underlying the relationship between maternal diet and GDM. This chapter also discusses the analytical considerations, and sampling methodology required to reproducibly analyse the food metabolome for linking the maternal diet with GDM. Biological samples to consider for analysis include blood, urine, amniotic fluid, saliva, hair and breath. Different analytical platforms can be used to analyse the food metabolome [e.g. nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry coupled to chromatographic separation (gas chromatography, liquid chromatography)], each has its own strengths. Using a combination of different platforms and extraction techniques will provide a more comprehensive view of the metabolome.