Effect of high protein intake and dietary advice on body weight maintenance among overweight and obese postpartum women

Background and objectives: Failure to return to pre-pregnancy weight after childbirth may contribute to obesity. There is evidence
that high protein and low carbohydrate intake in the general population helps to maintain body weight. However, there is limited
Evidence of the effect of high protein intake among postpartum
women. To evaluate the effect of high protein intake and nutritional
advice on body weight loss during the first six months of postpartum.
Methods: Randomized controlled trial with ninety-four overweight or obese postpartum women from two public maternity
wards situated in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Postpartum women
were randomized to intervention (IG) and control group (CG).
The IG received protein foods sardine supplementation (130 g /
one can per week) to increase dietary protein content combined
with instructions to restrict the consumption of carbohydrates.
The control group (CG) received nutritional advice to follow that
national nutrition guideline with standard quantities of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. To guarantee the trial adherence CG received 2 kg of pasta per month. A linear mixed-effects model was applied to test the effect of high protein intake on body weight loss during postpartum. Then, the interaction between IG (high
protein intake) and intake of macronutrients (CH and Fat) were
also investigated.
Results: The CG gained more weight over time (ß=0.824;
SE=0.393; p= 0.037) than women in the IG (ß=0.013; SE=0.402; p=
0.975). Intake of (g/kg) of protein (ß=-0.88; p<0.001), lipids (ß=-
1.76; p<0.001) and carbohydrate (ß= -0.39; p<0.001) over time were
idenpendently associated with weight loss. There was a significant
interaction between IG and lipdid intake (g/kg) (ß=-13.9; p= 0.012)
Conclusions: High protein intake and dietetic advice were associated with the maintenance of body weight during postpartum
period.