Eating Behaviors and Skin Carotenoids in Pregnant Women: The Moderating Influence of Depressive Symptoms and Income

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2025 Feb 26

PMID 40005067

Authors

Lenka H Shriver

Jessica M Dollar

Mali Hosseinzadeh

Cheryl Buehler

Laurie Wideman

Esther M Leerkes

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

: Fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is critical for optimizing pregnancy outcomes. Several socio-demographic factors are associated with FV intake, but less is known about behavioral and mental health correlates. Furthermore, existing knowledge is largely based on self-reported FV intake. The current cross-sectional study examined depressive symptoms and income as moderators of the association between eating behaviors and skin carotenoids (FV status biomarker) in pregnancy. : Participants living in an urban area of the south-astern part of the U.S. (N = 299) and who were in their third trimester of pregnancy were recruited for lab visits between 2019 and 2022 and completed the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. FV status was assessed using a pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy to determine skin carotenoids. Hypotheses were tested via multiple regression. : There was an interaction between dietary restraint and depressive symptomatology such that greater restraint predicted higher skin carotenoids at low levels of depressive but not high levels. There was an interaction between restrained eating and family income in predicting skin carotenoids that was significant at high- but not low-income level. External and emotional eating did not predict skin carotenoids. : Restrained eating might positively influence skin carotenoids during pregnancy. However, those who suffer from higher levels of depressive symptoms and/or live in lower-income households face additional barriers that might impede FV status. Further research is warranted to advance our understanding of the interplay between mental health, restrained eating and income on FV status in pregnancy.

References

Whisman M, McClelland G . Designing, testing, and interpreting interactions and moderator effects in family research. J Fam Psychol. 2005; 19(1):111-20. DOI: 10.1037/0893-3200.19.1.111. View

Konttinen H . Emotional eating and obesity in adults: the role of depression, sleep and genes. Proc Nutr Soc. 2020; 79(3):283-289. DOI: 10.1017/S0029665120000166. View

Ghazanfarpour M, Bahrami F, Fakari F, Ashrafinia F, Babakhanian M, Dordeh M . Prevalence of anxiety and depression among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-analysis. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2021; 43(3):315-326. DOI: 10.1080/0167482X.2021.1929162. View

Shriver L, Eagleton S, Hosseinzadeh M, Buehler C, Wideman L, Leerkes E . Associations among eating behaviors, food security status, and dietary intake during pregnancy. Appetite. 2023; 191:107062. PMC: 10957504. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107062. View

Larson N, Laska M, Neumark-Sztainer D . Food Insecurity, Diet Quality, Home Food Availability, and Health Risk Behaviors Among Emerging Adults: Findings From the EAT 2010-2018 Study. Am J Public Health. 2020; 110(9):1422-1428. PMC: 7427214. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305783. View

Shriver L, Hildebrand D, Austin H . Determinants of fruit and vegetable availability in Hispanic head start families with preschool-aged children living in an urban midwestern area. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2010; 42(5):299-306. DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2009.07.001. View

Elran Barak R, Shuval K, Li Q, Oetjen R, Drope J, Yaroch A . Emotional Eating in Adults: The Role of Sociodemographics, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Self-Regulation-Findings from a U.S. National Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(4). PMC: 7916829. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18041744. View

Hillier S, Olander E . Women's dietary changes before and during pregnancy: A systematic review. Midwifery. 2017; 49:19-31. DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2017.01.014. View

. Treatment and Management of Mental Health Conditions During Pregnancy and Postpartum: ACOG Clinical Practice Guideline No. 5. Obstet Gynecol. 2023; 141(6):1262-1288. DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005202. View

10.

Ju S, Park Y . Low fruit and vegetable intake is associated with depression among Korean adults in data from the 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Health Popul Nutr. 2019; 38(1):39. PMC: 6892133. DOI: 10.1186/s41043-019-0204-2. View

11.

van Strien T, Schippers G, Cox W . On the relationship between emotional and external eating behavior. Addict Behav. 1995; 20(5):585-94. DOI: 10.1016/0306-4603(95)00018-8. View

12.

Benbaibeche H, Saidi H, Bounihi A, Koceir E . Emotional and external eating styles associated with obesity. J Eat Disord. 2023; 11(1):67. PMC: 10152697. DOI: 10.1186/s40337-023-00797-w. View

13.

Patsalos O, Keeler J, Schmidt U, Penninx B, Young A, Himmerich H . Diet, Obesity, and Depression: A Systematic Review. J Pers Med. 2021; 11(3). PMC: 7999659. DOI: 10.3390/jpm11030176. View

14.

Konttinen H, van Strien T, Mannisto S, Jousilahti P, Haukkala A . Depression, emotional eating and long-term weight changes: a population-based prospective study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2019; 16(1):28. PMC: 6427874. DOI: 10.1186/s12966-019-0791-8. View

15.

Di Noia J, Gellermann W . Use of the Spectroscopy-Based Veggie Meter to Objectively Assess Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Low-Income Adults. Nutrients. 2021; 13(7). PMC: 8308249. DOI: 10.3390/nu13072270. View

16.

Burton P, Smit H, Lightowler H . The influence of restrained and external eating patterns on overeating. Appetite. 2007; 49(1):191-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2007.01.007. View

17.

Drisdelle C, Kestens Y, Hamelin A, Mercille G . Disparities in Access to Healthy Diets: How Food Security and Food Shopping Behaviors Relate to Fruit and Vegetable Intake. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2020; 120(11):1847-1858. DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2020.03.020. View

18.

Leerkes E, Buehler C, Calkins S, Shriver L, Wideman L . Protocol for iGrow (Infant Growth and Development Study): biopsychosocial predictors of childhood obesity risk at 2 years. BMC Public Health. 2020; 20(1):1912. PMC: 7734916. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-10003-0. View

19.

Kibe L, Bazargan M . Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Older African American and Hispanic Adults With Cardiovascular Risk Factors. Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2022; 8:23337214211057730. PMC: 8943447. DOI: 10.1177/23337214211057730. View

20.

Ledoux T, Hingle M, Baranowski T . Relationship of fruit and vegetable intake with adiposity: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2010; 12(5):e143-50. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00786.x. View