Dad's weight gain might be deeper than just lack of exercise

Most experts believe lifestyle changes are the primary factors behind weight gain in new fathers, but there is growing evidence that physiological factors could be involved, too.

Dr. Shannon Gritzenbach, a psychiatrist and the medical director of women's behavioral health services at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, said one possible cause for weight gain in fathers is a condition rarely associated with men: postpartum depression.

"It hasn't been publicized as much as it is for women, but the symptoms can be very similar," Gritzenbach said. "And depression can always be a trigger for weight gain."

In mothers, postpartum depression is marked by severe sadness, despondency, irritability, fatigue and obsessive anxiety about the infant. The same symptoms could appear in fathers, Gritzenbach said, though the underlying causes might be different -- anxiety about the family's ability to meet the financial burden of a child, for instance.

"Fathers might be feeling totally different things about the arrival of the new baby, but it could result in the same problem," she said.

In addition to depression, Gritzenbach said recent studies have raised the possibility of other hormonal changes in men during and after pregnancy that could result in weight gain, though no definitive conclusions have been reached.

"It makes sense to me that there would be some physiological changes that contribute to weight gain in fathers," she said. "I hope this gets studied more. We shouldn't leave dads out."