Dietary restraint and gestational weight gain

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Nutritional Science
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Dieting and restrained eating are common behaviors before pregnancy.
• Gestational weight gain (GWG) significantly impacts maternal and infant outcomes.
• Understanding factors influencing GWG is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between preconceptional dieting and restrained eating behaviors and gestational weight gain.
• To determine if these behaviors correlate with exceeding or falling short of Institute of Medicine (IOM) weight gain recommendations.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 1,223 pregnant women (Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study).
• Dieting practices assessed using the Revised Restraint Scale, classifying women as restrained eaters, dieters, or weight cyclers.
• Gestational weight gain and adequacy of gain (observed/expected ratio) were the primary outcomes, analyzed using multiple linear regression.

Main Results:

• A positive association was found between dieting/restrained eating and total GWG and adequacy of gain.
• Weight cyclers gained an average of 2 kg more than noncyclers.
• For normal, overweight, and obese women, dieting/restrained eating was linked to higher GWG; underweight women with these behaviors gained less.

Conclusions:

• Restrained eating behaviors are associated with GWG outside IOM recommendations for most women, but below recommendations for underweight women.
• Excessive GWG can lead to postpartum weight retention.
• The dietary restraint assessment can identify women needing pre- or during-pregnancy nutritional counseling for optimal GWG.