Trend changes in age-related body mass index gain after coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Japan: a multicenter retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background Accumulating studies suggest that strict lockdown with enforcement including segregation to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is associated with excess weight gain, but the such lockdown was not practiced in Japan. We aimed to compare the age-related weight gain before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan where achieved epidemic control based on individual voluntary action. Methods This multicenter retrospective cohort study used electronic data from annual health checkups for workers from January 2015 to December 2021 at four facilities belonging to the Central Clinic Group, Aichi, Japan. We defined pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods as January 2015–December 2019 and January 2020–December 2021, respectively. Participants were grouped by sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) stratus as of 2015, and the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic age-related BMI changes in overall individuals and each specific group were compared using a paired t-test. Results The total number of eligible participants was 19,290. During the pre-pandemic period, the mean BMI increased linearly in every group. The mean age-related BMI changes in females’ pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods were + 0.11 and + 0.02 kg/m2/year, respectively. This significant decrease was also shown in males, + 0.11 in the pre-pandemic and − 0.02 kg/m2/year in the post-pandemic periods. The reduction was consistently observed in all age strata. Furthermore, a significant reduction was also observed in the normal-weight females of reproductive ages aged 15–44 years. Conclusions This is the first report showing that age-related weight gain was reduced after the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, which could affect the reproductive age of females

The Possible Effects of Zinc Supplementation on Postpartum Depression and Anemia

Background and Objectives: The effects of postpartum zinc supplementation are still unclear. Our purpose in this study is to investigate the association between Zn supplementation and postpartum depression, defined by an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥ 9, and the effect on the hematological status of postpartum women. Materials and Methods: We first investigated whether zinc supplementation affected the perioperative levels of zinc, hemoglobin, and hematocrit in 197 cases who underwent cesarean section and had postpartum anemia. Next, logistic regression analyses were performed on 148 eligible cases to determine the association between zinc supplementation and postpartum depression. Results: Postpartum zinc supplementation significantly improved the status of maternal blood zinc levels and reduced the risk of developing postpartum depression (adjusted odds ratio: 0.249; 95% confidence interval: 0.062–0.988; p = 0.048). Iron supplementation is a standard and effective strategy for treating anemia; however, the combination of oral iron plus zinc supplementation resulted in slightly significant negative effects on postpartum hemoglobin and hematocrit compared to oral iron supplementation only. Conclusions: Postpartum zinc supplementation causes a significant positive effect on postpartum depression (EPDS score ≥ 9). Zinc supplementation had a negative but transient influence on the hematological status in women with postpartum anemia treated with oral iron supplementation; however, the differences were not clinically significant. Thus, we did not regard it as an adverse effect to be considered, and postpartum zinc supplementation may be viewed as beneficial in postpartum women