Open AccessHigh dietary ratio of omega‐6 to omega‐3 polyunsaturated acids during pregnancy and prevalence of post‐partum depression
Author(s) -
da Rocha Camilla M.M.,
Kac Gilberto
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
maternal and child nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1740-8709
pISSN - 1740-8695
DOI - 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2010.00256.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , confidence interval , body mass index , poisson regression , prospective cohort study , obstetrics , demography , population , environmental health , genetics , sociology , biology
Abstract Observational studies suggest association between low concentrations of omega‐3 family fatty acids and greater risk for post‐partum depression (PPD). The objective was to investigate the effect of unbalanced dietary intake of omega‐6/omega‐3 ratio >9:1 in the prevalence for PPD. The study comprises a prospective cohort with four waves of follow‐up during pregnancy and one following delivery. PPD was evaluated according to the Edinburgh Post‐partum Depression Scale (PPD ≥ 11) in 106 puerperae between 2005 and 2007, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Independent variables included socio‐demographic, obstetric, pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and dietary intake data, which were obtained by means of a food frequency questionnaire in the first trimester of pregnancy. Statistical analysis involved calculation of PPD prevalence and multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance. PPD prevalence amounted to 26.4% [ n = 28; confidence interval (CI) 95%: 18.0–34.8], and higher prevalences of PPD were observed in women who consumed an omega‐6/omega‐3 ratio >9:1 (60.0%) and in those with pre‐pregnancy BMI <18.5 kg/m 2 (66.7%). These variables held as factors associated to PPD in the multivariate model, elevating the chances of occurrence of the outcome in 2.50 (CI 95%: 1.21–5.14) and 4.01 times (CI 95%: 1.96–8.20), respectively. Analyses were adjusted for age, schooling, pre‐pregnancy BMI, lipids consumption and time elapsed since delivery. It verified an association between omega‐6/omega‐3 ratio above 9:1, the levels recommended by the Institute of Medicine, and the prevalence of PPD. These results add to the evidence regarding the importance of omega‐6 and omega‐3 fatty acids in the regulation of mental health mechanisms.