Nutcracker: Can Almond Nut Consumption Improve Nocturnal Glycaemic Control in Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?

Launched by GUY'S AND ST THOMAS' NHS FOUNDATION TRUST · Jul 16, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at whether eating almonds as a nighttime snack can help improve blood sugar levels during the night in pregnant women who have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens only during pregnancy and can affect both the mother and baby’s health. Managing blood sugar levels overnight is especially important, and this study wants to see if almonds might be a simple and healthy way to help with this.

Women who are over 16 years old, pregnant with one baby between about 25 and 32 weeks, and have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes through a standard glucose test may be eligible to join. Participants should be receiving their pregnancy care at the study center and using a diabetes management app called GDm-Health. The study will not include women who smoke, have multiple pregnancies, already use insulin, have allergies to nuts, or certain other medical conditions. If you take part, you can expect to include almonds as a snack at night and have your blood sugar monitored to see if this helps control it better overnight. This research could lead to an easy and tasty way to improve health for mothers and babies worldwide.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Age over 16 years
• • 2. Singleton pregnancy
• • 3. 25 to 31+6 weeks' gestation diagnosed with GDM using a standard clinical 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), as per the guidelines of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and had their first post-diagnosis consultation (approx. 7-10 days later). The NICE criteria state that the diagnosis of GDM will be made with one or more glucose concentrations during the OGTT of \>5.6 mmol/l in the fasting state; \>7.8 mmol/l 2 hours after 75g glucose
• • 4. Planned antenatal care at the same centre
• • 5. GDm-Health (a digital app for the management of diabetes in pregnancy) used as part of their management for GDM
• • 6. Willing and able to give informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Age under 16 years or over 55 years
• • 2. Multiple pregnancy
• • 3. Non-snack consumers
• • 4. Smokers
• • 5. Women who would work night shifts over the study period
• • 6. Women who have already commenced insulin for the treatment of GDM
• • 7. Allergy or intolerance to nuts
• • 8. Pre-existing medical conditions, including Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, chronic coronary, renal or bowel disease or history of cholestatic liver disease or pancreatitis. Presence of gastrointestinal disorder or use of a drug which is likely to alter gastrointestinal motility or nutrient absorption, previous bariatric surgery
• • 9. Unwilling or unable to give informed consent