Weight, nutrition, and immune status in postpartal women.

Postpartal weight loss, nutritional intake, and immune status were examined in 65 women. Although 80% of the women lost weight and were not overweight by the 4th postpartal month, the majority had diets that were inadequate in fat content (> or = 30% of calories from fat) or protein content (< or = 12% of calories from protein), or in terms of caloric intake (< or = 1,200 calories or > or = 2,200 calories). Differences in some immune cell subsets were noted between women with high-fat and normal-fat diets. Women with high-fat diets had lower percentages of specific immune cell subsets than women with normal-fat diets. Protein intake was not related to immune cell phenotypes.