 
        |
Perinatal
depression affects one in seven perinatal women in the U.S. and causes
significant short-[ and long-term adverse effects on mother and her family.
The etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) remains obscure.
Nutrition may be involved in the pathogenesis of MDD via numerous pathways,
but has been studied minimally in large samples of pregnant and postpartum
women. A clearer understanding of the causal relationship between
dietary intake and MDD is vital because few modifiable risk factors for
perinatal depression have been identified, and improving diet quality in
the perinatal period is safe, in expensive, and would have tremendous public
health benefits. We will study perinatal nutrition and MDD using
data from the Antidepressant Use during Pregnancy (ADUP) Study, an existing
naturalistic, longitudinal study of the consequences of prenatal depression
and antidepressant use. Women who are being treated by their physicians
with serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) for MDD (n=70),
women with current MDD but without SSRI exposures (N=70), and healthy controls
(n=70) are being followed from 20 weeks' gestation to 24 months postpartum.
We propose to supplement the ongoing protocol with measures of dietary
intake and nutritional biomarkers throughout the study period. These
data will generate hypotheses and pilot data that will inform a large,
population-based longitudinal study of nutrition and perinatal depression
in the future. Our aims are: (1) to assess the effect of perinatal
dietary intake on subsequent depressive symptoms; (2) to compare longitudinal
changes of relevant biological markers of nutritional status among women
with antenatal exposure to SSRI, women with MDD but without SSRI exposure,
and healthy controls; (3) to assess the interaction between maternal nutritional
status and antenatal depressive symptoms on adverse birth outcomes.
This research will help to identify modifiable risk factors for MDD among
perinatal women, and will lead to interventions that could prevent adverse
maternal and neonatal outcomes.
 (PDF
VERSION)(MS
WORD VERSION)
|
