Collaborative ECHO research led by Emily Zimmerman, PhD of Northeastern University investigates the relationship between mothers’ food sources and preparation during pregnancy and the length of time they breastfed. Pregnant participants who reported eating the least processed food and take-out, tended to breastfeed for an average of 41 weeks (10 months), while pregnant participants who reported eating the most processed food and take-out breastfed for an average of 16 weeks. This research, titled “Association Between Quality of Maternal Prenatal Food Source and Preparation and Breastfeeding Duration in The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcome (ECHO) Program,” is published in Nutrients.
This study included 751 mothers who were at least 18 years old and their infants from 12 ECHO cohorts located across the United States. Mothers reported on their food source and preparation during pregnancy and were placed in one of three groups: high, moderate, or low food source quality. Mothers also reported on their breastfeeding duration.
“This is the first time that maternal food source during pregnancy has been examined and linked to breastfeeding duration in such a large and diverse cohort,” said Dr. Zimmerman. “Our findings are in line with our hypothesis that mothers who reported eating more processed and fast foods and less food prepared at home breastfed for a shorter duration.”
Future studies are needed to understand the relation between breastfeeding duration and maternal food quality over time. These studies can also provide more specific information on maternal diet, food source, and preparation during pregnancy while considering other important factors, like socioeconomic status, that may affect the types of foods mothers have access to.