High-protein diet promotes a moderate postpartum weight loss in a prospective cohort of Brazilian women

Objective: Whether a high-protein (HP) diet promotes body weight loss (BWL) when compared with a low-protein (LP) diet is still unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of an HP diet on BWL during postpartum. Methods: A food-frequency questionnaire with 81 items was applied at 6 mo after delivery to evaluate the diet of 430 postpartum women aged 18-45 y. Body weight was measured approximately at 0.5, 2, 6, and 9 mo after delivery. Body weight loss was modeled by comparing an HP diet (>= 1.2 g.kg(-1) . d(-1)) with an LP diet (<1.2 g . kg(-1) . d(-1)) using mixed-effects linear regression models adjusted for energy intake, percentage of body fat at baseline, stature, age, race, smoking, and schooling. Results: Usual energy intake was higher in the HIP than in the LP diet group (2623 versus 1791 kcal, P < 0.0001). Daily mean protein intakes were 1.54 +/- 0.32 g . kg(-1) . d(-1) for the HP group and 0.83 +/- 0.20 g . kg(-1) . d(-1) for the LP group. A multivariate model showed that women in the HP group lost 316 +/- 0.062 g of body weight more per month (P < 0.01) when compared with the LP group. Conclusion: A reported higher protein intake may improve moderate postpartum body weight loss. Further studies should evaluate the long-term consequences of an HP diet postpartum. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.