Food Cravings in Pregnancy

This 2020 study surveyed new mothers from 7 provinces in China who experienced the lockdown in their third trimester. The purpose of this study was to discover whether concerns about diseases provoked more emotional eating among the women during pregnancy. Additionally, Zhang et al. set out to examine the relationship between emotional eating, dietary changes, and gestational weight gain (GWG) among these 640 new mothers. The results indicated that women living in severely hit areas were very worried about the pandemic, did less physical activity, and were more at risk of emotional eating. Although dietary patterns changed over the pandemic, the average gestational weight gain was in the normal range. However, the participants outside of Wuhan who scored highly in emotional eating were more likely to significantly gain weight (in excess). This dynamic was backed up by sensitivity analyses that adjusted for pregestational body mass index and gestational metabolic disease. Furthermore, emotional eating was found to correlate with the increased consumption of cereals and oils, and the decreased intake of fish and seafood. To summarize the findings, emotional eating was linked with excess gestational weight gain in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author suggests more education and interventions based on psychosociology and nutrition during pregnancy check-ups. [NPID: COVID-19, diet, emotional eating, gestational weight gain, pregnant]

The aim of this 2016 study was to find out whether cravings cause excess gestational weight gain since gaining weight during pregnancy can lead to health complications in both mother and child. A total of 83 pregnant women agreed to give their weight and height measurements to calculate their body mass indices. The participants also completed the Food Craving Inventory (FCI), which reveals how often the women experienced cravings for specific foods and determines how likely they are to succumb to these feelings. Around 40-58% of the sample was either overweight or obese before pregnancy. Moreover, 19.5% of the online respondents and 31.6% of subjects who were recruited from the local hospital gained more than the recommended amount of weight for their stage of gestation. All women experienced and gave in to at least one craving (most common cravings were for sweets and fast foods). This study suggests that both craving frequency and consumption of craved foods may increase risk of excess gestational weight gain. Interventions could specifically target cravings felt during pregnancy to potentially reduce energy intake and consequently weight gain. [NPID: craving, gestational, obesity, overweight, pregnancy, weight gain]

Blau et al. (2018) state that cravings and negative affect (feelings of emotional distress) may trigger overconsumption in pregnant women. There is also evidence that obesity can negatively affect pregnancies, delivery of the baby, and may even cause adverse effects after childbirth. This study explored the role of food craving frequency as a mediator in the relationship between emotional eating and excess gestational weight gain. One hundred and thirteen pregnant women completed the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (to measure their eating styles) and the Food Craving Inventory (showing cravings for "high fat foods," "fast food fats," "carbohydrates/starches," and "sweets"). It was found that the frequency of "high fat foods" cravings fully mediates the relationship between emotional eating and excess weight gain during pregnancy. Further research is recommended to find out whether there are affective states in which food cravings are particularly triggered, thus putting pregnant women at more risk of excess weight gain. [NPID: craving, emotional eating, gestational weight gain, pregnancy]

Since there is limited data on pregnant women's perceptions of and responses to food cravings, this 2020 study set out to find out about pregnant women’s experiences with food cravings and related behaviors. The sample group consisted of 68 pregnant women in their second trimester. The participants were asked open questions about their experiences of eating behaviors and food cravings during focus groups. Cravings were described as urgent and food-specific, while being different to hunger. The respondents tried to manage these cravings by limiting the distance from and the availability of these craved foods. Sometimes they tried to distract themselves, while another strategy was acceptance through satisfying the cravings. According to the women, food cravings formed a psychologically significant aspect of their pregnancy. There were several reports of numerous emotional precursors and reactions surrounding their cravings. These results increased our understanding of the psychological influences on eating behaviors in pregnant women. [NPID: eating behavior, food cravings, pregnancy, strategies]

In this 2019 study, social media was used as a tool to gain insight into the beliefs and practices surrounding weight gain, diet, and exercise during pregnancy among 43 young women. The participants were aged between 16 to 24 and recruited from two Midwest primary care clinics serving low-income communities. Marshall et al. inspected their Facebook posts, looking for content related to weight gain, exercise, and diet. The researchers identified major themes around their healthy behaviors. Outcomes included the frequency of posts and major themes regarding health behaviors during pregnancy. Among the 2899 pregnancy posts found, 311 were related to weight. The prominent theme of their posts included eating behaviors and cravings (58% of identified posts), body image (24%), the influence of family, partners, and friends (14%), and the desire to exercise (4%). It was concluded that young pregnant women often consider food cravings and body image when revealing their thoughts and feelings about weight gain during pregnancy. In addition, friends and family seem to influence their behaviors. [NPID: social media, beliefs, weight gain, eating behavior, food cravings, pregnancy]