Background Breastfeeding can be affected by maternal employment. This is important considering that in 2019, 47.1% of women globally participated in the labor force. The aim of this study was to review workplace interventions to promote, protect and support breastfeeding practices among working mothers globally. Methods A systematic review was conducted following the guidance of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Observational, experimental and qualitative peer-reviewed studies in English and Spanish, published between 2008 and 2019 were included. The review focused on working women who were pregnant, breastfeeding or who recently had a child, and women’s working environments. The outcomes of interest included breastfeeding intentions, initiation, exclusivity and duration, confidence in breastfeeding or breastmilk extraction, and perceived support at workplace. Quality was assessed according to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) checklist for systematic reviews. It was registered on PROSPERO (#140624). Results Data was extracted from 28 quantitative and 9 qualitative studies. The most common interventions were designated spaces for breastfeeding or breastmilk extraction (n = 24), and the support from co-workers (n = 20). The least common interventions were providing breast pumps (n = 4) and giving mothers the flexibility to work from home (n = 3). Studies explored how interventions affected different breastfeeding outcomes including breastfeeding duration, breastfeeding exclusivity, confidence in breastmilk expression, and breastfeeding support. The evidence suggests that workplace interventions help increase the duration of breastfeeding and prevent early introduction of breastmilk substitutes. Having a lactation space, breastmilk extraction breaks, and organizational policies are key strategies. However, to achieve equitable working conditions for breastfeeding mothers, organizational and interpersonal changes need to occur as well. Conclusions The systematic review revealed that interventions at the workplace are important in protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding among working mothers. To achieve equitable work environments and fair nutritional opportunities for infants of working mothers, interventions should focus at the three ecological layers – individual, interpersonal, and organizational. The quality of studies can be improved. There is a need for studies assessing impacts of workplace interventions on infant feeding practices, mothers’ self-esteem and outcomes such productivity and abstentionism.

Objective: Irisin is a novel myokine that seems to mediate the beneficial effects of exercise. Levels of circulating irisin before and after an 8-month physical activity program (PAP) in school-age children were evaluated. Methods: Irisin and leptin were measured at baseline and at follow-up among 85 children with different BMI. Results: Of the 85 children (mean age 8.9; 47% female), 25 children had normal weight, 23 were overweight, and 37 had obesity. We observed no significant difference in irisin serum levels between boys and girls. Irisin was positively associated with BMI before and after the PAP (r before 5 0.42; r after 5 0.37, P < 0.001), with the highest levels in children with obesity. There was a slight decrease of circulating irisin after PAP, but this decrease was not of statistical significance. We observed a high and positive association between irisin and leptin levels before and after the PAP (r before 5 0.78; r after 5 0.82, P < 0.001). Moreover, changes in leptin correlated with changes in irisin (r 5 0.72, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Circulating irisin is positively linked to BMI and leptin in school-age children, supporting the notion that that irisin is produced by adipose tissue. As in previous reports, this study failed to observe changes in irisin levels after exercise, likely because higher irisin levels are produced only during exercise.

Although the isolated effects of several specific nutrients have been examined, little is known about the relationship between overall maternal diet during pregnancy and fetal development and growth. This study evaluates the association between maternal diet and low birthweight (LBW) in 660 pregnant women from the Pregnancy Research on Inflammation, Nutrition,& City Environment: Systematic Analyses (PRINCESA) cohort in Mexico City. Using prior day dietary intake reported at multiple prenatal visits, diet was assessed prospectively using a priori (Maternal Diet Quality Score [MDQS]) and a posteriori (dietary patterns extracted by factor analysis) approaches. The association between maternal diet and LBW was investigated by logistic regression, controlling for confounders. Adherence to recommended guidelines (higher MDQS) was associated with a reduced risk of LBW (OR, 0.22; 95% confidence interval [0.06, 0.75], P < .05, N = 49) compared with the lowest adherence category (reference group), controlling for maternal age, education, height, marital status, pre‐pregnancy body mass index, parity, energy intake, gestational weight gain, and preterm versus term birth; a posteriori dietary patterns were not associated with LBW risk. Higher adherence to MDQS was associated with a lower risk of having an LBW baby in this sample. Our results support the role of advocating a healthy overall diet, versus individual foods or nutrients, in preventing LBW.

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Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) contained in fish oil (FO) are ligands for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) that may induce changes in cardiometabolic markers. Variation in PPAR genes may influence the beneficial responses linked to FO supplementation in young adults. The study aimed to analyze the effect of FO supplementation on glucose metabolism, circulating lipids and inflammation according to PPARα L162V and PPARγ2 P12A genotypes in young Mexican adults. 191 young, non-smoking subjects between 18 and 40 years were included in a one-arm study. Participants were supplemented with 2.7 g/day of EPA+DHA, during six weeks. Dietary analysis, body composition measurements and indicators for glucose metabolism, circulating lipids, and markers for inflammation were analyzed before and after intervention. An overall decrease in triglycerides (TG) and an increase in HS-ω3 index were observed in all subjects [-4.1 mg/dL, (SD:±51.7), P=.02 and 2.6%, (SD:±1.2), P<.001 respectively]. Mean fasting insulin and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c%) were significantly decreased in all subjects [-0.547mlU/L, (SD:±10.29), P=.034 and-0.07%, (SD:±0.3), P<.001 respectively], whereas there was no change in body composition, fasting glucose, adiponectin and inflammatory markers. Subjects carrying the minor alleles of PPARα L162V and PPARγ2 P12A had higher responses in reduction of TG and fasting insulin respectively. Interestingly, doses below 2.7 g/day (1.8 g/day) were sufficient to induce a significant reduction in fasting insulin and HbA1c% from baseline (P=.019 and P<.001). The observed responses in triglycerides and fasting insulin in the Mexican population give further evidence of the importance of FO supplementation in young people as an early step towards the prevention of cardiometabolic disease.

Metabolic disturbances and systemic pro-inflammatory changes have been reported in children with obesity. However, it is unclear the time-sequence of metabolic or inflammatory modifications during children obesity evolution. Our study aimed to quantify simultaneously metabolomic and inflammatory biomarkers in serum from children with different levels of adiposity. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was used to perform targeted metabolomics and inflammatory cytokines measurements. Serum samples from children between six to ten years old were analyzed using either body mass index (BMI) or waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) classifications. One hundred and sixty-eight school-aged children were included. BMI classification in children with overweight or obesity showed altered concentrations of glucose and amino acids (glycine and tyrosine). Children classified by WHtR exhibited imbalances in amino acids (glycine, valine, and tyrosine) and lipids (triacyl glycerides and low-density lipoprotein) compared to control group. No differences in systemic inflammation biomarkers or in the prevalence of other results were found in these children. Abnormal arterial blood pressure was found in 32% of children with increased adiposity. In conclusion, obesity in school-aged children is characterized by significant metabolic modifications that are not accompanied by major disturbances in circulating concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers.

According to the WHO, low birth weight (LBW) affects 15–20% of newborns worldwide. In Mexico, there are no national, state, nor municipal estimates that inform the country’s situation over time. The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence of LBW at the national, state, and municipal levels from 2008 to 2017, and to estimate the LBW incidence based on maternal sociodemographic characteristics, prenatal care and marginalization indexes at the national level using open national data. We used spatial data analysis to georeferenced LBW incidence at the three levels of geographical disaggregation studied. At the national level, the incidence of LBW increased progressively from 6.2% (2008) to 7.1% (2017), and the country’s capital represented the area with the highest incidence. Southeastern and central states reported the highest LBW regional incidence. At the municipal level, the number of municipalities with an incidence of LBW ≥8% increased in both male and female newborns. The incidence of LBW was higher as the marginalization indexes increases. The results from this study may assist in the identification of vulnerable groups and the development of public health programs and policies with an intersectoral approach that improves maternal and child nutrition.

Background/objective Changes in metabolism and extensive hemodynamic adjustments occur during normal pregnancy. The presence of maternal obesity imposes an overload to these physiological adaptations that may result in increased risk for the development of cardiometabolic complications during and after pregnancy. The aim of this study is to describe total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), glucose, and arterial blood pressure (BP) trajectories and to analyze the association of these cardiometabolic risk indicators during pregnancy with pre-pregnancy body mass index (pBMI) and monthly gestational weight gain (MGWG). Subjects/methods A prospective cohort study of pregnant women was conducted in Mexico City. Monthly samples of blood were taken during clinical follow-up and biochemical and blood pressure were measured during each visit. Adjusted linear mixed-effect regression models were fit to describe the trajectories of these biomarkers during pregnancy and to analyze the association with pBMI and MGWG. Results Seven hundred and twenty women were included of which 16.6% had pre-gestational obesity, 33.2% had pre-gestational overweight, 45.8% had normal pBMI and 4.4% had pre-gestational underweight. Women with pre-gestational obesity had higher lipids concentrations in the beginning of pregnancy (TC: $$\hat \beta$$ β ̂ = 33.08, p = 0.010; TG: $$\hat \beta$$ β ̂ = 31.29, p = <0.001) but the concentrations increased less than in women with normal pBMI (TC: $$\hat \beta$$ β ̂ = −14.18, p = 0.001; TG: $$\hat \beta$$ β ̂ = −5.42, p < 0.001). By the end of pregnancy, women with pre-gestational obesity had lower concentrations of lipids than women with normal pBMI. By contrast, women with pre-gestational obesity had higher glucose concentrations and higher BP levels than women with normal pBMI over pregnancy. Conclusions pBMI is differentially associated with longitudinal trajectories of maternal biochemical markers of cardiometabolic risk. MGWG did not significantly affect the biochemical indicators or BP trajectories. Our results suggest that pBMI is more relevant to predicting adverse cardiometabolic markers trajectories during pregnancy than MGWG.