Perinatal Western-type Diet and Associated Gestational Weight Gain Alter Postpartum Maternal Mood

Overview

Journal Brain Behav

Specialty Psychology

Date 2017 Oct 28

PMID 29075574

Citations 12

Authors

Jessica L Bolton

Melanie G Wiley

Bailey Ryan

Samantha Truong

Melva Strait

Dana Creighton Baker

Nancy Y Yang

Olga Ilkayeva

Thomas M OConnell

Shelley W Wroth

Cristina L Sanchez

Geeta Swamy

Christopher Newgard

Cynthia Kuhn

Staci D Bilbo

Leigh Ann Simmons

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: The role of perinatal diet in postpartum maternal mood disorders, including depression and anxiety, remains unclear. We investigated whether perinatal consumption of a Western-type diet (high in fat and branched-chain amino acids [BCAA]) and associated gestational weight gain (GWG) cause serotonin dysregulation in the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in postpartum depression and anxiety (PPD/A).

Methods: Mouse dams were fed one of four diets (high-fat/high BCAA, low-fat/high BCAA, high-fat, and low-fat) prior to mating and throughout gestation and lactation. Postpartum behavioral assessments were conducted, and plasma and brain tissues assayed. To evaluate potential clinical utility, we conducted preliminary human studies using data from an extant sample of 17 primiparous women with high GWG, comparing across self-reported postpartum mood symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for percent GWG and plasma amino acid levels.

Results: Mouse dams fed the high-fat/high BCAA diet gained more weight per kcal consumed, and BCAA-supplemented dams lost weight more slowly postpartum. Dams on BCAA-supplemented diets exhibited increased PPD/A-like behavior, decreased dopaminergic function, and decreased plasma tyrosine and histidine levels when assessed on postnatal day (P)8. Preliminary human data showed that GWG accounted for 29% of the variance in EPDS scores. Histidine was also lower in women with higher EPDS scores.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the role of perinatal diet and excess GWG in the development of postpartum mood disorders.

Citing Articles

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