Association between breastfeeding and postpartum weight retention: a prospective population-based cohort study

• Grant number: 16/17262-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutritional Analysis of Population
• Principal Investigator: Maria Antonieta de Barros Leite Carvalhaes
• Grantee: Michelly da Silva Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The pregnancy and the postpartum are critical moments for women's weight gain. Specifically related to this period, the postpartum weight retention has recently being a target of big concern, due to its possible contribution for high and increasing rates of obesity in women. Women's body is prepared to breast-feeding because of the fat storage during pregnancy and the increased prolactin postpartum, that unleashes a higher need of caloric intake and appetite. It's expected that with breast-feeding the lost of weight occurs after the postpartum losses, however, if it don't occur or be early interrupted it's possible that the puerperal will take some time to come back to pre-pregnancy weight or that don't occur, unleashing the postpartum weight retention. However, the literature is controversial with the association between the breastfeeding duration and the postpartum weight retetion. The objective of the present study is investigate the association between the breastfeeding duration and the weight retention at 6 and 12 months after the birth in a population cohort of mothers and babies in monitoring in the city Botucatu/SP. The project called "Child health in the first year of life: a prospective cohort study in São Paulo" it's supported by FAPESP (process 2015/03256-1). (AU)