Elsevier

The Journal of Nutrition

Volume 128, Issue 2, February 1998, Pages 381S-385S
The Journal of Nutrition

Body Composition Changes during Lactation Are Highly Variable among Women1,2

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Abstract

Changes in body weight and composition in response to the metabolic load imposed by lactation are highly variable among and within diverse populations. In most reports, rates of weight loss did not differ between lactating and nonlactating women. Despite differences in the hormonal milieu between lactating and nonlactating women, only subtle short-term differences were observed in postpartum changes in body composition. Regional patterns of fat deposition and mobilization did not differ between lactating and nonlactating women in most studies. Changes in body composition during lactation are responses to a sequence of complex neuroendocrine and biochemical stimuli that may be significantly modified by environmental factors. Gestational weight gain was the strongest determinant of postpartum weight and fat mass change, which supports the premise that biological mechanisms are aimed at restoring prepregnancy body weight and composition. J. Nutr. 128: 381S–385S, 1998.

Key Words

lactation
body composition
anthropometry
fat-free mass
fat mass

Abbreviations

ATV
adipose tissue volume
FFM
fat-free mass
LPL
lipoprotein lipase
WHR
waist-to-hip ratio

Cited by (0)

1

Presented as part of the symposium “Maternal Body Composition, Caloric Restriction and Exercise during Lactation” given at the Experimental Biology 97 meeting, April 8, 1997, New Orleans, LA. This symposium was sponsored by the International Society for Research on Human Milk and Lactation and the American Society for Nutritional Sciences and was supported in part by educational grants from the Carnation Nutrition Products Division, the Gerber Foundation, Ross Products Division, Abbot Laboratories and Wyeth-Ayerst International. Guest editors for the symposium publication were Kathryn G. Dewey, University of California, Davis, CA and Cheryl A. Lovelady, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC.

2

Supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, under Cooperative Agreement Number 58-6250-1-003. This work is a publication of the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.

Copyright © 1998 American Society for Nutrition. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.