Elucidation of dietary habits during pregnancy aimed to prevent postpartum depression with a view to precision health

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K23275
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0909:Sports sciences, physical education, health sciences, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyoto Kacho University
• Principal Investigator: Hayashi Ikuyo 京都華頂大学, 現代生活学部食物栄養学科, 准教授 (30878517)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-09-11 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 産後うつ / 妊娠性貧血 / 低炎症食 / 食事性炎症指数（DII）

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Assuming that each pregnant woman has different physical constitutions and environments, we conducted research focusing on dietary habits as 'modifiable factors' to prevent postpartum depression during the pregnancy period. The subjects of this study were a group for whom there was no correlation between postpartum depression and socioeconomic status (household income and education). The main findings of this study are: (1) postpartum depression was related to maternal anemia, (2) regardless of the presence or absence of maternal anemia, there was no difference in nutrient intake levels, including iron, (3) pregnant women with maternal anemia had a high-inflammatory dietary index, (4) there was a stronger tendency for maternal anemia in cases of gestational diabetes, and (5) the rs2235321 variant of the TMPRSS6 gene was identified in relation to hemoglobin levels.

Free Research Field

栄養学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

妊娠性貧血を予防することが産後うつの軽減につながる可能性がある。貧血予防・緩和の食事は鉄摂取だけでなく、総合的に低炎症型の食事が効果的かもしれない。
本研究の新規性は、食事の評価指標としてdietary inflammatory indexを用いたこと、ヘモグロビン低値と高炎症型の食事との関連を見出したことにある。妊娠性貧血の予防には、鉄分摂取量に注意するだけでなく、低炎症型の食事組成（低脂質、低飽和脂肪酸、抗酸化ビタミン・ミネラルの摂取）を考慮すべきである。この発見は、貧血予防のための食事指導において新しいエビデンスとなる可能性がある。