Association between Homocysteine-Related Dietary Patterns and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Study Using the Reduced Rank Regression Method

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the association between homocysteine-related dietary patterns and gestational diabetes mellitus. Methods: A total of 488 pregnant women at 24-28 weeks of gestation between January 2019 and December 2020 were included. Demographic characteristics, dietary intake, and multivitamin supplement intake information were collected using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); fasting venous blood samples were collected for serum index detection. Serum homocysteine (Hcy), folic acid, and B12 were selected as response variables, and hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcy)- related dietary patterns were extracted using the descending rank regression method. The relationship between the score of hHcy-related dietary patterns and GDM was analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results: Three hHcy-related dietary patterns were extracted: (mode 1) more meat, cattle meat intake, green leafy vegetables, dark vegetables and soy, and less consumption of shrimp. (mode 2) livestock meat, eggs and more grains, green leafy vegetables, bacteria, algae, dairy, and less nuts intake; and (model 3) livestock meat intake, and less soy intake. Because the explanatory variation of mode 3 was relatively small, it was not retained. Only mode 2 had a positive and significant relationship with the risk of developing GDM. After adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of GDM was significantly increased in the highest quartile array (OR=2.96, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.939-9.356, P=0.004). There was no significant correlation between dietary pattern 1 and GDM risk (P >0.05).