Adherence to a Mediterranean‐style diet and change in inflammatory biomarkers and fatty acid profiles in lactating women

We hypothesized that lactating women randomized to a Mediterranean‐style (MED) diet would demonstrate significant favorable change in select inflammatory biomarkers and fatty acid profiles as compared to women randomized to the USDA¡¦s MyPyramid diet for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (control diet). At baseline, women (n=129) were 29.7¡Ó4.6 years, primarily non‐Hispanic (75.2%), and overweight (BMI: 27.2¡Ó4.9 kg/m2). The majority of women were exclusively breastfeeding (72.1%) and a mean 17.5 weeks postpartum. Biosamples (urine, blood, and breast milk) were collected at baseline, 2 months, and 4 months (diet duration). Inflammatory biomarkers: C‐reactive protein (CRP), interferon‐ƒ× (IFN‐ƒ×), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and tumor necrosis factor‐ƒÑ (TNF‐ƒÑ); and fatty acid profiles will be assessed. We anticipate lactating women randomized to the MED diet will demonstrate significant decreases in inflammatory biomarkers and beneficial changes in fatty acid profiles as compared to women randomized to the control diet. This research was funded by the California Walnut Commission. Grant Funding Source : California Walnut Commission