Nighttime snacking ups risk of postpartum depression

Nighttime snacking during pregnancy appears to increase the likelihood of postpartum depression, suggests a recent study.

A total of 609 community-dwelling pregnant women recruited between July 2019 and July 2022 participated in this prospective cohort study. Self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain data on the frequency of nighttime snacking and sociodemographic, economic, and lifestyle factors. A validated brief self-administered diet history questionnaire was used to collect dietary intake data.

The research team assessed PPD using the Japanese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). They analysed PPD incidence (EPDS score ≥9) based on the frequency of nighttime snacking using multiple logistic regression analysis.

Participants who had a nighttime snacking frequency of 3 times/week or more were more likely to develop PPD (odds ratio [OR], 2.59, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.14‒5.86) than those with frequency of <1 time/week after adjusting for potential confounders.

In sensitivity analysis, similar results were observed for the excluded participants with depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Those who had nighttime snaking ≥3 times/week had the highest odds of PPD (OR, 2.81, 95 percent CI, 1.13‒6.96).

“The present study clarified the association between the frequency of nighttime snacking and PPD,” the researchers said. “Further studies with large and diverse samples are needed to overcome any potential selection bias.”