A low-glycaemic load (GL) diet in overweight or obese women did not affect the birthweight or body fat of their babies when compared with a low-fat diet. However, women in the former group had smaller increases in triglycerides and total cholesterol and a greater decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) than those in the latter. Infant head circumference and duration of pregnancy were also greater in this group. 'Rising rates of overweight and obesity within society in general are increasingly being mirrored in women during pregnancy. Current dietary advice does not seem to be achieving significant improvements and not surprisingly alternative dietary interventions are under scrutiny. Preterm and early-term births contribute significantly to perinatal morbidity and head circumference is directly related to brain volume and possibly later IQ. Drawing firm conclusions from pilot studies is difficult. Although a low-GL diet was associated with a more favourable maternal biochemistry profile and with better birth statistics, the number of subjects in the study was small. Larger studies are needed to evaluate whether a low-GL diet does improve maternal and infant outcomes.'