**13. Pregnancy diet influences on cortisol and insulin levels at birth**

Unfortunatly complete information of the diet consumed through the whole pregnancy was available in only 31 mothers whose neonates fulfil the selection criteria. Nonetheless, some relevant results were observed when comparing results from neonates whose mothers followed an adequate or unadequate diet according to the MDA (**Table 8**).


Data are means ± standard deviations; BMI, body mass index; GH, growth hormone; IGF-1: insulin-like growth factor-1; QUICKI, quantitative insulin sensitivity check index; HOMA-IR, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance; NS, not significant.

**Table 8.** Effects of maternal adherence to mediterranean diet (MDA) during pregnancy on different neonatal parameters.

Thus, the conjoint presence of high cortisolaemia–high insulinaemia at birth was clearly associated with pregnancy diet characteristics. In no case, neonatal hyperinsulinaemia or neonatal hyperinsulinaemia *plus* hypercortisolaemia was found in children whose mothers' diets had a MDA ≥7 over 13. Thus, those findings suggest a clear relationship between pregnancy diet quality and high neonatal insulinaemia. Almost 50% of neonates, whose mothers' diets were inadequate, according to the MDA score, presented hyperinsulinaemia *plus* hypercortisolaemia at birth. Previously we reported that a relatively high pregnancy MDA was a guarantee for glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR and QUICKI normal values, while mothers with a poor MDA score delivered neonates whose plasma insulin sensitivity/resistance markers were conceptually those of prediabetes [12, 13].

Thus, in the absence of known factors (reduced gestational age, reduced neonatal body weight, foetal distress) that would suggest limited and stressed gestation, pregnancy diet characteristics (MDA) clearly affect glycaemic hormone balance, and thus insulin sensitivity/resistance at birth.
