04/24/2026
This is huge. I love the research she’s been sharing on gestational diabetes. If you’ve struggled in the past or in your current pregnancy, let’s discuss what supplements may be right for you!
As I round out my GDM series, I know there are so many unanswered questions. This is a huge topic, which so many moving pieces...and tons of new research.
I want to end by covering what the studies say about certain supplements. This is NOT a push for supplements, and it is up to you, the provider, to determine if a specific supplement fits the patient you are seeing. What I want to do it give you some ideas for treatment, and areas to reserach for your clients.
Vitamin D
Meta‑analysis of 19 RCTs in GDM found that vitamin D reduced fasting plasma glucose (~10 mg/dL), fasting insulin, and insulin sensitivity. Dosages ranges from 400IU a day to 50,000 IU every 2 week, to 60,000IU/week. No effect if patients are not deficient
Zinc
A 2019 meta-analysis of 5 RCTs in women with GDM (n=263) found zinc supplementation significantly reduced fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and increased insulin sensitivity index (QUICKI), with clear rises in serum zinc. Other studies also found lower hs-CRP and higher total antioxidant capacity with zinc supplementation (30mg zinc gluconate) but no change in pregnancy outcomes.
Magnesium
Across small RCTs, magnesium (≈250 mg/day Mg oxide or similar for ~6 weeks) improves fasting glucose, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress/inflammatory markers in GDM. Evidence is still limited on the effective dosage for supplementation.
Selenium
200 µg/day selenium for ~4–6 weeks in women with GDM consistently improves fasting and/or post‑prandial glucose, several insulin‑resistance indices, and inflammatory/oxidative‑stress markers, with signals for better neonatal outcomes. Lower doses (100µg/day ) are not effective.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
A 2025 meta-analysis found that ALA was none of four antioxidants found it improve fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, β‑cell function and QUICKI vs control, as adjunct to diet. (the other antioxidants were zinc, selenium, and EGCG)
EGCG
500mg/day from time of diagnosis to term improved fasting/post prandial glucose, insulin indices, and reduced neonatal complications.
Other nutrients/supplements without enough research: thiamin, NAC, Chromium, Curcumin, CoQ10, Superoxide Dismutase
Studies:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33386179/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33372392/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31438733/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26465829/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36249983/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34907820/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12513009/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38720217/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40085334/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28266082/
