The Mother Infant Nutrition (MINT) Study  is a study that focuses on the relationship between mom’s body fat changes during pregnancy, her weight changes throughout pregnancy, and baby’s body fat at birth.

Currently, there is not much research on how changes in body fat and weight during pregnancy relate to one another. There is even less research on how diet and physical activity are related to pregnancy weight changes. With MINT, we are using many methods, including MRIs, to look at mom’s body composition changes during pregnancy and baby’s environment in the uterus. We will use the results of these methods to get a better idea of what makes up mom’s weight changes and which lifestyle factors are associated with them.

We have begun enrolling participants for the MINT Study. Women who meet the selection criteria will be invited to participate in early pregnancy, and we will follow them throughout pregnancy and into the postpartum period. We will also track infant growth after they are born.

For more information on the MINT Study, email widen.lab@austin.texas.edu or follow this link. You can also learn more here.