Association between dietary patterns during the third trimester and the risk of postpartum depression in China

Postpartum depression, which has affected one in six women after giving birth, can exert detrimental effects on maternal, children and family well-being. This study investigated the association between dietary patterns and postpartum depression among Chinese women.

A total of 1659 participants were recruited and collected between July 2015 and June 2017 in Tianjin, China. The Chinese version of the Self-Rating Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms at 6-12 weeks postpartum. Information about diet was obtained using an 81-item food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to assess relationships between dietary patterns and the risk of postpartum depression.

Six dietary patterns were identified by principal component analysis, including beverage, vegetable, cereal-meat, nut-fruit, egg and seafood patterns. The highest tertile (T3) of the nut-fruit pattern was significantly associated with a decreased risk of postpartum depression (OR: 0.740, 95% CI: 0.573-0.955, p = =0.020). Moreover, T3 of the seafood pattern was associated with a lower risk of postpartum depression than the lowest tertile (T1) of this pattern (OR: 0.753, 95% CI: 0.580-0.978, p = =0.033). No other associations were found.

A retrospective study.

The nut-fruit pattern and seafood pattern were associated with a decreased risk of postpartum depression in Chinese women. The present findings reinforce the importance of an adequate diet of fruit, nuts, and seafood for postpartum women.