NCT04430439

Emotion-Diet Interactions in Pregnancy

Postprandial Response to Emotion-Diet Interactions in Pregnancy

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 113 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of California, Irvine · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will investigate how maternal emotional state following a controlled stress exposure in pregnancy influences blood glucose and insulin levels after eating a standardized meal, and whether the effects of emotional state on blood glucose and insulin is different after eating a healthy meal (low GI) compared to a less healthy meal (high GI).

Detailed description

Maternal glucose-insulin homeostasis in pregnancy represents one of the most important physiological processes for maternal and child health outcomes. Although maternal diet is a key regulator of this process, its effects vary widely across individuals. Maternal stress could represent a moderator of considerable importance in this regard, yet little is known about the effects of stress on glycemic control in pregnancy and whether the effects of stress may vary as a function of diet quality. This project will investigate the effects of acute psychosocial stress exposure on the postprandial metabolic response to a meal of varying glycemic index (GI) among women with overweight/obesity in mid-pregnancy.

Conditions

• Pregnancy Related
• Stress, Psychological
• Glucose Intolerance During Pregnancy
• Emotional Stress
• Postprandial Hyperglycemia
• Insulin Sensitivity/Resistance

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Psychosocial stress	The TSST is a 15 minute standardized lab-based challenge task that involves speech preparation, speech delivery while being evaluated by strangers and video taped, and complex mental arithmetic with critiques if errors are made.
BEHAVIORAL	Control non-stress	Participants will have a relaxed 15 minute conversation with a familiar research team member.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-05-11
• Primary completion: 2024-02-14
• Completion: 2024-02-28
• First posted: 2020-06-12
• Last updated: 2025-08-22
• Results posted: 2025-08-22

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States