Time-restricted Eating Among Pregnant Females With Severe Obesity

In the United States, a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35.0 kg/m2 affects about 15% of women of reproductive age. Severe obesity is a significant predictor of adverse perinatal outcomes including gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-eclampsia, premature birth, and at its most severe, fetal death, birth defects and a three-fold greater risk of maternal mortality. Observational studies suggest weight maintenance and even modest body fat loss and altering the maternal metabolic milieu (availability of glucose and lipids) in the gestational period may be important to reducing perinatal health risks among pregnant females with severe obesity. The proposed research aims to assess time-restricted eating in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy to explore the effects on maternal weight, and perinatal health outcomes compared to standard clinical care.