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Background: Pregnancy is a vulnerable time where the lives of mother and baby are affected by diet, especially high-risk pregnancies in women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Limited research has examined diet during pregnancy with IBD. Aims: Describe and compare the diet quality of pregnant women with and without IBD, and examine associations between dietary intake and guidelines during pregnancy. Methods: Three 24 h recalls were utilized to assess the diets of pregnant women with IBD (n = 88) and without IBD (n = 82) during 27–29 weeks of gestation. A customized frequency questionnaire was also administered to measure pre- and probiotic foods. Results: Zinc intake (p = 0.02), animal protein (g) (p = 0.03), and ounce equivalents of whole grains (p = 0.03) were significantly higher in the healthy control (HC) group than the IBD group. Nutrients of concern with no significant differences between groups included iron (3% IBD and 2% HC met the goals), saturated fat (only 1% of both groups met the goals), choline (23% IBD and 21% HC met the goals), magnesium (38% IBD and 35% HC met the goals), calcium (48% IBD and 60% HC met the goals), and water intake (49% IBD and 48% HC met the goals). Conclusions: Most pregnant women in this cohort fell short of the dietary nutrients recommended in pregnancy, especially concerning for women with IBD.

Background The postpartum period is a critical transition period when exposures to protective factors such as breastfeeding can have long-lasting health impact. Studies have suggested downregulating effects of breastfeeding on stress biomarkers such as cortisol but have not explored the way breastfeeding interacts with allostatic load, a multisystem indicator of chronic stress. Objective We aimed to examine the association between breastfeeding and maternal allostatic load among women within 2 y postpartum using nationally representative data. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of 10 waves of data from the NHANES (1999-2018) was conducted in a sample of 1302 women aged ≥18 y who provided information on breastfeeding through the reproductive health questionnaire. Clinical and empirical allostatic load scores (range: 0-10; higher numbers associated with increased risk) were derived for each participant based on 10 biomarkers reflecting metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune health. Multiple linear regression tested associations between breastfeeding and allostatic load, adjusting for maternal age, race and ethnicity, education, poverty level, and survey wave. Results Breastfeeding had a significant inverse association with allostatic load in unadjusted and adjusted models. Controlling for age, race and ethnicity, education, poverty level, and survey wave, breastfeeding women had a 0.36-point lower clinical allostatic load score than nonbreastfeeding women (β = -0.36, SE = 0.11; 95% CI: -0.59, -0.14; P = 0.002) and a 0.44-point lower empirical allostatic load score (β = -0.44, SE = 0.15; 95% CI: -0.74, -0.14; P = 0.005). Conclusions Our study suggests that breastfeeding is protective of maternal stress and provides a more comprehensive picture of breastfeeding's influence on multiple body systems, exemplifying physiological benefits beyond effects on single biomarkers. However, limitations of cross-sectional data and non-classification of breastfeeding duration, mode, and intensity should be considered when interpreting these findings, and further research to address the role of breastfeeding and allostatic load is needed.

OBJECTIVES: Current evidence suggests breastfeeding has a modulating effect on maternal stress. We aimed to examine the association between breastfeeding and maternal allostatic load, a marker of chronic stress and adverse health, among women within one year postpartum, using nationally representative data. We hypothesized that women who were breastfeeding had lower allostatic load compared to women who were not breastfeeding. METHODS: A cross sectional analysis of nine waves of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999–2016) was conducted on a sample of 1203 women >18 years old, within their first year postpartum, who provided information on breastfeeding status through the reproductive health questionnaire. An allostatic load score (range 0–10) was derived for each participant based on ten biomarkers reflecting metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune health. Simple linear regression was used to test bivariate associations between potential confounders and allostatic load. Confounders were then incorporated into multiple linear regression models. The final model tested associations between breastfeeding and allostatic load, adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, and poverty status. RESULTS: Our findings showed that breastfeeding had a significant inverse association with allostatic load in unadjusted and adjusted models. Furthermore, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, and poverty status, we found that breastfeeding women had 0.2727 points lower allostatic load score than non-breastfeeding women (ß = −0.2727, SE = 0.0958, P = 0.0045). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests breastfeeding is protective of maternal stress, demonstrating an inverse association with allostatic load among women during the first year postpartum. Our results provide a more comprehensive picture of breastfeeding's influence on multiple body systems, exemplifying physiological benefits beyond effects on single biomarkers. FUNDING SOURCES: No funding was used to support this study.

ObjectiveTo assess the influence of a mobile produce market (MPM) on fruit and vegetable access.DesignNovel application of a structured assessment (five dimensions of access framework) to examine fruit and vegetable access through self-administered surveys on shopping behaviours, and perceptions and experiences of shopping at the MPM.SettingLow-income neighbourhoods with limited access to fruits and vegetables.SubjectsOlder (≥60 years) and younger (18–59·9 years) shoppers.ResultsParticipants were more likely to be women and non-White, one-third lived alone and nearly half were older adults. Compared with younger, older participants had different shopping behaviours: tended to purchase food for one person (P< 0·001), be long-term shoppers (P=0·002) and use electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards (P=0·012). Older adults were more likely to like the market location (P=0·03), while younger adults were more likely to want changes in location (P=0·04), more activities (P=0·04), taste sampling (P=0·05) and nutritional counselling (P=0·01). The MPM captured all dimensions of access: availability, indicated by satisfaction with the produce variety for nearly one-third of all participants; accessibility, indicated by participants travelling ConclusionsMPM may influence fruit and vegetable access in low-income urban neighbourhoods by facilitating the five dimensions of access and may especially benefit older adults and individuals living alone.