Mediterranean diet may reduce postpartum depression
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Key takeaways:
- Evidence suggests adherence to the Mediterranean diet decreases risk for postpartum depression.
- More conclusive research is needed, researchers said.
Mothers in Greece who strongly adhered to a Mediterranean diet had a significantly reduced risk for postpartum depression, according to the results of research published in Nutrients.
“Postpartum depression constitutes an urgent health issue, which seems to adversely influence both mothers and their infant health,” Sousana K. Papadopoulou, PhD, an assistant professor at the International Hellenic University in Thessaloniki, Greece, and colleagues wrote. “The prevalence of postpartum depression usually ranges from 14% to 25%. Alarmingly enough, this prevalence has increased to 34% during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Among other factors, nutrition has been identified by previous studies as a particularly important one for managing and treating postpartum depression, the researchers wrote. For example, a systematic review indicated that the Mediterranean diet could reduce the risk for depression and improve its symptoms among older adults.
The diet has already been shown to cut preeclampsia risk and provide CVD and mortality benefits for women.
Papadopoulou and colleagues performed a cross-sectional survey to evaluate potential connections between postpartum depression and mothers’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet, anthropometric and sociodemographic characteristics, breastfeeding practices and perinatal outcomes.
They included 3,941 women who were in the postpartum period, assessing postpartum depression with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and adherence to the Mediterranean diet with the MedDietScore.
Papadopoulou and colleagues found that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was linked to a lower risk for postpartum depression, but more research is needed for conclusive results.
“In accordance with previous studies, it should be emphasized that greater levels of Mediterranean diet compliance have been related to a more than twofold lower risk of postpartum depression, providing evidence that this dietary pattern may effectively prevent the development of postpartum depression or even reduce its symptoms,” they wrote.
Alongside lower levels of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, postpartum depression was also significantly connected to:
- lower educational level;
- higher incidence of cesarean section;
- not breastfeeding;
- higher prevalence of multiparity;
- postpartum overweight or obesity; and
- Greek nationality.
Multivariate analysis additionally revealed that, after adjusting for multiple cofounding factors, postpartum depression was independently linked to mothers’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet, educational level, breastfeeding practices, postpartum BMI status and type of delivery.
“Our study is one of the few studies that has investigated the relation of Mediterranean diet compliance during the postpartum period in association with multiple sociodemographic and anthropometrical characteristics, perinatal outcomes and breastfeeding practices,” the researchers wrote. “Well-designed, prospective, and population-based studies are strongly recommended to obtain conclusive results.”
Perspective
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This article presents an interesting investigation of sociodemographic, lifestyle and perinatal factors that may be associated with postpartum depression, and it highlights important considerations in understanding the development and treatment of postpartum depression. First, the article’s emphasis on modifiable lifestyle factors is key; as a clinical psychologist, I find it important to acknowledge how health behavior changes may affect mental health. For example, improving diet, exercise, sleep and increasing engagement in valued life activities all represent behavior changes that can serve as specific intervention targets for individuals at risk for postpartum depression. In addition, this article also demonstrates that it is critical to identify sociodemographic and perinatal factors that may suggest higher risk of postpartum depression so that screening efforts and proactive treatment approaches can be implemented. This article provides a good foundation for continued research in this area because it has a large sample size and investigates a wide range of different variables germane to the postpartum period.
Future research that is longitudinal and experimental in nature is necessary to support the findings of this article with respect to postpartum depression because many confounding factors emerge when examining associations in the context of such a significant life change and medical event like pregnancy and delivery. We should be sure to consider how the interaction of biological, psychological and social factors contribute to postpartum physical and mental well-being and how we can tailor interventions appropriately, given the different characteristics of our patients.
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