Welcome to another FAB Research update, with a round-up of recent News, Research, and Events.
Weâve grouped these into sections to help you find the items of most interest to you.
Please use our links for more detailed information and FAB comments - as well as related articles from our extensive news and research archive on nutrition and behaviour.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday 22nd January 6.00 â 7.30pm - Special FAB Event
We are delighted to announce a special webinar with expert discussion and Q&A on
- Motherâs Diets, Babiesâ Brains and Lifelong Mental Health
The fundamental role of nutrition in both physical and mental health has been ignored for decades by public health policymakers. The huge burden of chronic ill-health â and mental ill-health in particular â arising from this neglect has led to the endless crises now facing our health, education, social services and criminal justice systems, and wider society.
The focus of this special event is the critical importance of prenatal nutrition for brain health and wellbeing across the lifespan and its lifelong consequences for the children, young adults and next generations on whom our future depends.
Evidence-based and cost-effective policies to reverse current trends ARE already available. But they still need better publicising, and putting into practice.
These pressing issues will be discussed and explored by our webinar panel of FAB Research experts â Professor Michael Crawford, Professor John Stein, Dr Joseph Hibbeln, and Dr Alex Richardson. As ever, our focus will be on constructive and practical solutions â and answering YOUR questions.
This promises to be a memorable event, with critical insights from renowned scientists with decades of experience and expertise in the field of nutrition and brain health.
Tuesday Jan 28th - ISSFAL Lipids Online Webinar
This monthâs online webinar from the International Society for Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) â free to all - is on the topic of
The Impact of Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) on Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration.
More details, and registration HERE
Can Omega-3 Supplements improve children's mood, behaviour, attention and sleep?
Most UK children's dietary intakes and blood levels of long-chain omega-3 are seriously below the levels recommended for general physical health, let alone optimal brain development. Particularly low levels are associated with symptoms of ADHD and ASD as well as difficulties with mood and sleep.
FAB Research is collaborating with researchers at the University of Swansea on this independently funded clinical trial.
We are still seeking volunteers but are nearing completion so please share this with interested parties who may wish to take part.
HOT TOPIC: ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS
Do Ultra-processed Foods CAUSE Overeating? New Evidence says âYesâ (again)
Whether the Ultra-processed foods (UPF) that dominate modern western-type diets actually play a causal role in overeating and obesity is still hotly debated, but:
- Back in 2019, a rigorous randomised controlled trial (RCT) that on a nutritionally-matched UPF vs minimally processed diet, healthy US adults consumed an extra 500 calories per day.
- And in a recent small RCT from Japan, a UPF diet led adults with obesity to consume an extra 800 calories/day.
Now, the US team led by Professor Kevin Hall have revealed preliminary data from their follow-up RCT - showing that the overeating caused by UPF (vs a nutritionally matched, minimally processed diet) varied from around 250 to 1000 calories / day, depending on both âenergy densityââ and âhyper-palatabilityâ of the UPF.
For a summary of these remarkable (pre-publication) findings, see
this article from Marion Nestleâs âFood Politicsâ blog
which includes a YouTube video, where Dr Hall presented top-line results from the new trial at a recent London conference on âUltra-processed food: the scope for Government actionâ.
Whether or not any effective action is forthcoming from Governments to reduce UPF consumption once these findings are fully published, another interesting new development is:
The first lawsuit against ultra-processed foods
Although the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (like those in the UK and elsewhere) may not think much of UPF, companies making UPF have just been served with a lawsuit in the US.
How sweet is it really? Non-nutritive sweeteners & the control of blood sugar levels
Non-nutritive sweeteners are often perceived as healthier than sugar, but new findings have confirmed new ways they may interact with sugar handling in the body.
Too much of a food thing: A century of change in how we eat
There is a serious mismatch between our biological nutritional needs, and what ultra-processed 21st century diets provide. And for many decades now, that mismatch has led to increasing rates of both physical and mental ill-health.
PREGNANCY AND EARLY LIFE
From womb to world: The role of micronutrients in shaping infant development
Prenatal depression affects one in five pregnancies, and can impair both maternal wellbeing and child developmental outcomes. The good news is that research shows better nutrition can make a positive difference.
High-sugar diets in pregnancy and early life may have lifelong negative effects
A unique study of children born before and after UK post-war sugar rationing was lifted found those exposed to higher sugar intakes during pregnancy and early infancy had 2-3 times higher rates of chronic health problems as older adults.
Healthy pregnancy diet boosts kids' emotional regulation - Clinical trial
All soon-to-be-parents want to give their baby the healthiest start possible, but new research shows that eating well and being physically active during pregnancy also benefits children years after birth.
Prenatal supplements largely lack the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids to help prevent preterm birth â new research
Most womenâs diets before and during pregnancy donât provide enough of the long-chain omega-3 found in fish and seafood (EPA and DHA) to support healthy brain development, and to prevent pre-term birth. Unfortunately, neither do many prenatal supplements.
Less than 50% of many prenatal supplements have the adequate amount of choline and iodine
As with omega-3, many prenatal vitamin and mineral supplements don't provide enough of other âcritical brain nutrientsâ essential for a healthy pregnancy, but often lacking from modern diets.
MENTAL HEALTH
How Inflammation Affects Mental Health
Understanding how inflammation can affect our mental state, and how it is influenced by factors like diet, medications and other modifiable factors can give important new insights into many psychiatric conditions, and pave the way for better treatments.
First-ever Study of its Kind Explores the Role of Nutrition in Managing Generalized Anxiety Disorder
A study reports a 55% reduction in average anxiety scores among those receiving the treatment, in addition to confirming feasibility and acceptability of a nutritional approach to helping individuals experiencing anxiety.
Food insecurity in adults with severe mental illness: A systematic review with meta-analysis
Adults with severe mental illness living in high- or upper-middle income countries are more likely to experience food insecurity than the general population - which may exacerbate their illness.
PHYSICAL HEALTH
Junk Food Diet Causes 12-Year-Old Boy to Go Permanently Blind
As in other such tragic cases, this headline refers to another published case report of a boy whom doctors identified as having Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) - which affects about half of autistic children to varying degrees. This was an extreme case, but not singular.
Public awareness of the nutritional consequences of highly restricted and avoidant eating (involving a real âfear of foodâ) is desperately needed so that children and families have the right information and appropriate support.
An affordable and effective nutritional approach to help reduce inflammation and prevent type 2 diabetes
Omega-3 supplementation can be a highly effective strategy for the treatment of adipose tissue inflammation and prevention of its associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, especially in people with high blood LDL values.
A healthy diet may ease chronic pain, study suggests
"It's common knowledge that eating well is good for your health and well-being. But knowing that simple changes to your diet could offset chronic pain, could be life changing..."
Study finds techniques to protect neurons from harmful impact of some dietary fats on multiple sclerosis progression
New information points to a specific metabolic pathway through which certain dietary fats can worsen MS symptoms.
Fat cells have epigenetics-based memory: Researchers discover mechanism behind weight loss yo-yo effect
Findings indicate the existence of an âobesogenic memoryâ in the fat cells of mice, and probably other cell types too. This appears to be based on stable epigenetic changes, and may help to explain the âreboundâ weight gain that often follows rapid weight loss.
For more of the latest news and research please bookmark and browse at your convenience:
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Many thanks as always for your continued interest in what FAB Research does, and we wish you a wonderful January.
Best wishes,
The FAB Research Team
