Welcome to another FAB Research update.
FAB News
Events for your interest
Nutritional Psychiatry: The Food and Mood Connection
Virtual Event Hosted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists
Date: 4th March 2026 (This Wednesday)
Time: 9:00 - 12:30pm (GMT)
Location: Online
Featuring Dr Ally Jaffee, Professor Felice Jacka and FAB Speaker Dr Kevin Williamson, and other expert researchers and clinicians.
All registered delegates will be emailed the recording afterwards (available to watch for 60 days after the event). But please note: this will NOT be available to purchase post-event.
Read the Full Agenda & Book your Ticket
Upcoming FAB Webinar:
Omega 3, Inflammation and the Brain
Date: Wednesday, 25th March 2026
Time: 6.00 - 7.30 pm (GMT)
Location: Online
The globally renowned Professor Philip Calder will explore how omega-3 fatty acids influence inflammation â relevant to both the body and brain.
Donât miss this chance to hear from a world leading expert in this complex, and often overlooked, area of health and wellbeing.
Early Bird registration ends Sunday 15th March
If youâre already a FAB Associate (thank you!), to attend this event live you can:
- although donât forget - ALL FABâs webinars are made freely available via your Associates Library afterwards.
And if youâre not an Associate, but would like to consider joining us, you can
In the News
This is just a selection of our recent news items added to our website.
For many more articles from our extensive News archive on the links between food and behaviour, please check (and bookmark):
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Diet as an Adjunct to Depression Treatment
Inflammation and oxidative stress often play a role in depression, and dietary changes can reduce both.
Extra vitamin D could help prevent dementia, even in risk gene carriers
Even carriers of the Alzheimerâs âriskâ gene ApoE4 saw reduced dementia risk with vitamin D use â with significantly greater effects in females than males, a new study of over 12,000 participants shows.
Can Keto âCureâ Schizophrenia? Hereâs What We Actually Know
Small studies of ketogenic diets show potential benefits in reducing symptoms for some patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression - but more rigorous, well-funded, large-scale studies are still needed.
Precision about what the science does - and doesnât - show is essential (and the word âcureâ is not helpful in that context). So leading researchers and clinical experts in this important new field have just published âstate-of-the-artâ consensus guidelines for clinicians and others interested in whether a ketogenic diet may â or may not â be worth considering:
Gut bacteria may play role in bipolar depression
After receiving microbiota from people with bipolar depression, healthy mice started exhibiting depression-like behaviours â adding to other evidence that gut-brain influences may play a role in this condition.
Sugary drinks linked to anxiety in young people
An association between consumption of drinks containing a high amount of sugar and anxiety symptoms in adolescents has been identified in a new study.
Healthy dietary change could support adolescent mental health
Dietary patterns may play a role in adolescent mental health, a study suggests.
Eating Behaviour
New treatment offers hope for young eating disorder patients
Findings show the potential of a new, combined eating disorder treatment to boost the confidence of adolescents with Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Cannabis âMunchiesâ Could Hold the Key to Ending Appetite Loss for Patients
Cannabis can significantly increase food intake - regardless of age, sex, weight or recent meals â supporting the idea that medicinal cannabis may have benefits for patients with serious loss of appetite.
Diet in Early Childhood May Program Lifetime Eating Habits
Modern diets rich in energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods in early childhood can shape food preferences and establish unhealthy eating patterns that persist well into adulthood. Supporting a healthier balance of gut bacteria from birth might help to counteract these lifelong negative effects, new research shows.
Similarities between ultra-processed foods and tobacco
Whilst not all UPFs are equal, this review identifies their many similarities with tobacco products: both are formulated to encourage habitual use, and producers deliberately shape public (and professional) perception in ways that protect their own profits.
This paper â from a world-leading expert on the controversial topic of âfood addictionâ - highlights a roadmap for reducing harm by de-emphasising individual responsibility, and protecting public health.
Omega-3 / 6 Balance - and Fish and Seafood
Why the Future of Food Should Include Seafood
When âthe future of foodâ is discussed, the emphasis is usually on âalternativeâ proteins, âplant-basedâ diets, and âlab-grownâ meat (in keeping with food industry interests) â but seafood provides a unique nutritional profile that remains unmatched by land-based proteins - especially for brain health.
How much omega-3 do you need daily?
A new global review reveals DHA and EPA requirements, uncovers inconsistencies in guidance, and shows many populations still fail to meet recommended targets for lifelong health.
Daily Omegaâ3 Could Protect Against Autoimmune Disease
The benefits of daily vitamin D for preventing autoimmune disease in adults seems to wane after supplementation stops, but the protection from omegaâ3 appears to last for at least 2 more years - as shown by the follow-up from a ground-breaking, large clinical trial.
Arachidonic + docosahexaenoic acid cuts risk for severe retinopathy of prematurity by nearly half
Arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) decrease the risk for severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in extremely preterm infants by nearly half, according to a research letter published online in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Other news
Toddlers' ultraprocessed diets at age two linked to lower IQ, study suggests
Children with an unhealthy dietary pattern at age 2 scored lower on IQ tests at ages 6 to 7, even after accounting for a wide range of social, economic, and family factors that could influence cognitive development, a new study from Brazil found.
Are Gut Microbes AntiâAging?
Researchers have discovered how to coax gut bacteria into producing lifeâextending compounds that improved health span â at least in animal models.
Gut microbiome may be the link to gluten sensitivity without celiac disease
The gut microbiome may play an important role in how the immune system responds to gluten, even in people who do not have celiac disease.
âHealthyâ sweetener may stress the liver
Recent findings suggest that sorbitol may not be as harmless as is often assumed. Gut bacteria can neutralize some of it, but too much sorbitol can overwhelm that defence.
Vitamin B12 clues on cellular metabolism offer hope for new therapies
Vitamin B12 is long understood as a vital nutrient required for red blood cell formation and nerve function, but a new Cornell study suggests its role in human biology is far more intricate, with implications for aging, metabolism and disease prevention.
FAB FOR YOU...
One of the things that makes FAB Research unique is the wide range of different audiences we serve, and the many different disciplines and perspectives we include in our news and research updates.
If youâd like additional updates and resources tailored to your own particular interest(s) in the links between food and behaviour, please let us know by registering your specific interests here:
NHS professionals â and UK researchers and students
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Many thanks for your interest â and please share this email with friends or colleagues you think may be interested in finding out more about the many links between Food and Behaviour.
Best regards
The FAB Research Team
