抄録
Objective: This study was conducted under a comprehensive partnership agreement with Minamiminowa Village in Nagano Prefecture. Its objective was to examine the effects of processed brown rice intake during pregnancy on both maternal and neonatal health, with a particular focus on neonatal birth weight.
Methods: Participants were asked to complete a self-administered symptom questionnaire at two time points: during pregnancy (upon application) and after childbirth. The questionnaires included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Anti-Aging QOL Common Questionnaire. Processed brown rice was provided continuously throughout pregnancy based on individual participant requests to ensure uninterrupted intake. A total of 22 cases were analyzed, accounting for approximately one-sixth of the average annual births in Minamiminowa Village.
Results: Among pregnant participants, improvements were observed in physical symptoms such as skin condition and Early satiety. Notably, significant improvements were also seen in psychological symptoms, including reductions in “Scared”, “Mentally irritated”, “Short-tempered”, “Unhappiness”, “Not livable” and “Anxious without reasons”. Furthermore, a trend was noted in which participants who felt they consumed a larger amount of processed brown rice tended to give birth to infants with higher birth weights. Although a certain number of low birth weight infants (<2,500g) were observed, there were no cases of very low birth weight (<2,000g).
Conclusion: Consumption of processed brown rice may have a positive effect on the mental health of pregnant women. There was a trend toward increased newborn birth weight in participants who felt they consumed a larger quantity of processed brown rice. Participation in the first year of the study was limited, so efforts will be made to increase participation in the next year.
