Project Area: Population health research
Project Summary
The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Ireland is estimated at ~12% of all pregnancies. Maternity care costs for pregnant women who develop GDM are 34% higher than the average pregnancy, and neonatal costs in the first year are higher than those in babies of mothers without GDM. Aside from these short-term concerns associated with GDM, there are also long-term consequences for both mother and baby of elevated risk of metabolic disease including obesity and type 2 diabetes in later life.
Numerous dietary strategies have been proposed to address obesity, diabetes and related metabolic disorders but effective treatments have been slow to materialise, including for GDM. The primary treatment for GDM is dietary modification to improve blood sugar control. However, the optimum dietary strategy that yields the best clinical outcomes for mother and baby is yet to be established. A recent development of rapidly-increasing interest is the dietary strategy termed “time-restricted eating” (TRE), which refers to the strategy of limiting one’s food intake to a defined time period of the day. When patients at risk for type 2 diabetes restrict their ‘eating window’ to 4 to 10 hours per day (while fasting for the remainder of the 24 hour period), markers of diabetes risk are reduced, even in the absence of weight loss.
Given that weight loss to combat GDM is not recommended, TRE may provide a beneficial strategy to improve blood sugar control in mothers with GDM with consequent benefits for babies, but this has yet to be investigated. In conjunction with collaborators at the Coombe hospital, we will conduct a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of TRE (14 h fasting/10 h eating daily) from 24-28 weeks of pregnancy on GDM status and metabolic health in mothers, as well as neonatal and delivery outcomes. In addition to testing the efficacy of TRE in this cohort, we will explore the acceptability of such a dietary approach using qualitative methods to explore participants’ experience of TRE. This will identify the barriers and enablers to the implementation of TRE in GDM that might inform future initiatives to scale-up this approach should the outcomes of the present project be positive.
Skills Required
(If applying for this project you will be asked to outline how you meet the skills required below)
Central to the success of this project will be that the Scholar develops a range of interdisciplinary research skills relevant to quantitative research methods, qualitative research methods, and clinical trial management. The intention is that this will provide a thoroughly-rounded PhD experience and develop skills that will provide long-lasting benefit in the Scholar’s career.
Essential skills
- Undergraduate training in an allied health profession
- Previous experience of conducting research in human participants at undergraduate or postgraduate level
Desirable skills
- Previous experience of working or research in a clinical setting
- Previous experience of conducting quantitative OR qualitative research and data analysis
- Previous experience of remote monitoring and implementation of an intervention in human participants
- Previous experience of analysis of food diaries by dietary analysis software
Supervisory team:
Dr. Brendan Egan, PI/Primary Supervisor,
School of Health and Human Performance, Dublin City University
Dr. Amy O’Higgins, The Coombe Hospital/UCD Centre for Human Reproduction
This project will be based in Dublin City University.
