Pregnant women who eat a low-quality diet, especially at night, are more likely to hold onto postpartum weightA new study has linked eating a low-quality diet while pregnant to holding on to more weight 18 months after giving birth.— Milkos/istock.com pic
Led by researchers from KK Women's and Children's Hospital , the new study looked at 687 pregnant women and asked them to self-report their eating times and diet quality at weeks 26 to 28 of pregnancy. Moreover, the women who ate more of their daily food intake after 7pm in the evening, or who ate a lower quality diet, were more than three times more likely to experience postpartum weight retention of five kilograms or more.
The findings could have long-term implications for women, with the researchers noting that there is evidence that retaining more weight after the first year of giving birth is associated with a higher body mass index even at 15 years postpartum. In addition, weight retention after having a baby appears to be more harmful to health than weight gain at any other point in life, as body fat is typically deposited in the abdomen, near vital organs, rather than in other parts of the body.