Mixed dietary pattern is associated with a slower decline of body weight change during postpartum in a cohort of Brazilian women.

OBJECTIVE The aim was to assess the effect of dietary patterns on postpartum body weight change (BWC). METHODS A Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) with 81 items was applied in 278 women having the first six months after delivery as the time frame. Body weight (BW) was measured at 15 days (baseline) and at 2.6 and 9 months postpartum. Principal components analysis was used to extract the dietary patterns. Linear mixed models were performed having BWC as the outcome and the dietary patterns as independent variables. RESULTS Two major dietary patterns were identified: healthy and mixed. Energy intake was 2,838 kcal (DP = 624) and 2,233 kcal (DP = 455), for women classified in the highest quartiles of mixed and healthy dietary patterns, respectively. Mean BWC declined -0.151 kg/ month (SE = 0.02) independently of the dietary pattern. Predicted values of BWC among women that have adhered to mixed dietary pattern indicated a lower BWC of 0.830 kg/month (SE = 0.24; p < 0.001) at 6 months and 0.938 kg/month (SE = 0.24; p < 0.001) at 9 months postpartum. CONCLUSION The mixed dietary pattern was associated with a slower rate of BWC during postpartum, compared the healthy dietary pattern.