Blueberry juice and tryptophan provided a little relief from postpartum moping

A clinical study by Canadian doctors found that taking blueberry juice, tryptophan and tyrosine a few days after giving birth slightly reduced symptoms of postpartum moping. However, this effect was observed when symptoms were assessed using only one of several mood scales used in the study. The findings are published in the journal eClinicalMedicine.

Postpartum moping occurs in about 75 per cent of women who give birth. It is manifested by episodes of sad moods, bouts of crying, anxiety, restlessness, decreased appetite, fatigue and irritability. It usually begins around the third day after delivery, peaks on the fifth day and then subsides within a few days. The severe course of postpartum moping is considered prodromal for postpartum depression, as moping increases the risk of depression fourfold. That said, there are no evidence-based interventions to prevent postpartum moping suitable for widespread use.

Studies on animal models have shown that increasing the level of monoamines, whose concentration is reduced due to high levels of monoamine oxidase activity, by including supplements with their precursors in the diet can have a favourable effect on mood. Moreover, in these studies it was possible to identify a correlation, according to which food supplements should be taken in accordance with the expected fluctuations in the concentration of certain monoamines in the brain.

A group of scientists led by Jeffrey Meyer (Jeffrey Meyer) from the University of Toronto conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled study, which examined the effectiveness of a mixture of nutritional supplements to alleviate symptoms of postpartum moping. The supplement studied contained two grams of L-tryptophan (two one-gram tablets), 10 grams of L-tyrosine (twenty 500-milligram tablets), blueberry juice and blueberry extract. Participants took one sachet each of the active extract or placebo mixed with blueberry juice or placebo drink on the evening of the third day, morning and evening of the fourth day, and morning of the fifth day after delivery.

A total of 51 participants in the supplement group and 52 participants in the placebo group entered the study. All had symptoms of postpartum moping. Mood scores on a ten-point visual analogue scale of mood did not differ significantly between groups, even in independent analyses using general linear regression. There were also no differences in scores on the POMS scale.

However, scores on the Stein Maternity Blues scale were lower in the active group (effect size 0.62, p = 0.008). There was some asymmetry in the results due to the random inclusion in the study group of a woman who developed postpartum depression, the removal of which resulted in an increased treatment effect (p = 0.001). There was also a persistence of effect over several months in the treatment group.

Although scientists recognise some efficacy of the supplements studied, it is still difficult to speak of a meaningful treatment effect. Firstly, the sample in the study consisted of only a little over a hundred people. Second, the covida pandemic began during the study, which imposed its own limitations on the technical procedures of the study. Third, the effectiveness of the supplement was only shown in one of the mood assessment methods studied. Therefore, more research will be needed to overcome all of these limitations.