Postprandial Response to Almond Consumption in Overweight Hispanic Pregnant Women

Currently, about one third of all women entering pregnancy are obese. The prevalence of
metabolic disorders during pregnancy has increased concurrently with the rise in maternal
obesity. Although dietary interventions are used routinely to reduce metabolic disease in
non-pregnant obese individuals, no specific dietary advice is provided to obese, pregnant
women unless they develop gestational diabetes mellitus. In this study, the investigators
will specifically assess the effect of replacing dairy fats with almonds in a breakfast meal
on the postprandial metabolic response. This cross-over, randomized control trial will
examine the postprandial metabolic response to 0 or 2 oz of almonds in standardized test
meals in pregnant Hispanic women with prepregnancy BMI between 25 and 40. Hispanics are at
higher risk for gestational diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. The investigators
hypothesize that consuming almonds in place of dairy fat reduces the glycemic response and
improves the postprandial lipid profile in these high-risk women.