Specific amino acids but not total protein attenuate postpartum weight gain among Hispanic women from Southern California

Abstract

There is a high prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the United States, particularly among Hispanic women, which may be partly explained by failure to lose gestational weight during the postpartum period. Previous work indicates that protein and amino acids may protect against weight gain; therefore, this study examined the impact of dietary protein and amino acid intake on changes in postpartum weight and the percent of women meeting the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for these dietary variables among Hispanic women from the Southern California Mother's Milk Study (n = 99). Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations between protein and amino acid intake with change in weight after adjusting for maternal age, height, and energy intake. Women's weight increased from prepregnancy to 1‐month and 6‐months postpartum (71.1 ± 14.6 vs. 73.1 ± 13.1 vs. 74.5 ± 14.6 kg, p < .0001). Although dietary protein was not associated with weight change (β = −1.09; p = .13), phenylalanine (β = −1.46; p = .04), tryptophan (β = −1.71; p = .009), valine (β = −1.34; p = .04), isoleucine (β = −1.26; p = .045), and cysteine (β = −1.52; p = .02) intake were inversely associated with weight change. Additionally, fewer women met the EAR values for cysteine (11.1%), phenylalanine (60.6%), and methionine (69.7%), whereas most women met the EAR values for tryptophan (92.9%), valine (96.0%), and isoleucine (94.9%). Study results indicate that several essential and conditionally essential amino acids were associated with postpartum weight loss, with a significant portion of women not meeting recommended intake levels for some of these amino acids. These results highlight the importance of postpartum maternal diet as a potential modifiable risk factor.

Early life gut microbiota is associated with rapid infant growth in Hispanics from Southern California

“…Maternal diet was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls at 1-month postpartum. 73 , 76 Infant weight was measured in duplicate to the nearest 5 g by net difference of the mother with and without baby on a Tanita scale. Infant length was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm using an infantometer.…”

Air pollution exposure may impact the composition of human milk oligosaccharides

“…Maternal pre-pregnancy weight, age at delivery, delivery mode, and infant sex were collected at the first clinical visit. Non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls were performed to represent average maternal dietary intake, as well as to assess dietary information pertaining to nutrient consumption of macronutrients 61 . Socioeconomic status was measured using a modified version of the Hollingshead index 57 , 62 .…”