Longitudinal associations between food parenting practices and dietary intake in preschool children: The ToyBox Study.

INTRODUCTION: Food Parenting Practices (FPPs) include the practices parents use in the act of feeding their children, which may further influence their health. OBJECTIVES: To assess associations between changes in FPPs (permissiveness, food availability, guided choices, water encouragement, rules and limits and the use of food as reward) over 1 year and dietary intake (water, energy-dense/nutrient-poor and nutrient-dense foods) at follow-up in 4- to 6-year-old preschool-aged children. METHODS: Longitudinal data from the control group of the ToyBox study, a cluster-randomized controlled intervention study, was used (NCT02116296). Multilevel ordinal logistic regression analyses including FPP as the independent variables and dietary intake as outcome. RESULTS: Nine hundred sixty-four parent-child dyads (50.5% boys and 95.0% mothers) were included. Limited changes on the use of FPPs were observed over time. Nevertheless, in boys, often having F&V at home was associated with higher F&V consumption (OR = 6.92 [1.58; 30.38]), and increasing home availability of F&V was directly associated with higher water consumption (OR = 7.62 [1.63; 35.62]). Also, not having sweets or salty snacks available at home was associated with lower consumption of desserts (OR = 4.34 [1.75; 10.75]). In girls, having F&V availability was associated with higher F&V consumption (OR = 6.72 [1.52; 29.70]) and lower salty snack consumption (OR = 3.26 [1.50; 7.10]) and never having soft drinks at home was associated with lower consumption of sweets (OR = 7.89 [6.32; 9.86]). Also, never being permissive about soft drink consumption was associated with lower soft drink consumption (OR = 4.09 [2.44; 6.85]). CONCLUSION: Using favorable FPPs and avoiding the negative ones is prospectively associated with healthier dietary intake, especially of F&V, and less intake of soft drinks, desserts, and salty snacks.

Effects of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on reducing anxiety and/or depression in adults; A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic- (EPA), docosahexaenoic- (DHA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn-3) are promising therapeutic options in reducing the severity of anxious and depressive symptoms. However, meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) yield mixed findings. This systematic review and meta-analysis reviewed the evidence and assessed the efficacy of EPA, DHA and DPAn-3 in reducing the severity of anxiety and depression with specific consideration to methodological complications unique to the field e.g., dose and ratio of omega-3 PUFAs and placebo composition. Random-effects meta-analysis of ten RCTs comprising 1426 participants revealed statistically significant reduction in depression severity with EPA-enriched interventions at proportions ≥ 60% of total EPA + DHA (SMD: -0.36; 95% CI: -0.68, -0.05; p = 0.02) (I2 = 86%) and EPA doses between ≥ 1 g/day and < 2 g/day (SMD: -0.43; 95% CI: -0.79, -0.07; p = 0.02) (I2 = 88%); however, EPA doses ≥ 2 g/day were not associated with significant therapeutic effects (SMD: -0.20; 95% CI: -0.48, 0.07; p = 0.14). Only one study reported significant reduction in anxiety severity with 2.1 g/day EPA (85.6% of total EPA + DHA), therefore meta-analysis was not possible. No trials administering DPAn-3 were identified. Visual examination of the funnel plot revealed asymmetry, suggesting publication bias and heterogeneity amongst the trials. These results support the therapeutic potential of EPA in depression at proportions ≥ 60% of total EPA + DHA and doses ≥ 1 g/day and < 2 g/day. The observed publication bias and heterogeneity amongst the trials reflect the need for more high-quality trials in this area with consideration to the unique nature of omega-3 PUFAs research, to more fully elucidate the therapeutic potential of EPA, DHA and DPAn-3.

The psychobiology of comfort eating: implications for neuropharmacological interventions.

Comfort eating, that is eating induced by negative affect, has been a core theme of explanations for overeating and obesity. Psychobiological explanations and processes underlying comfort eating are examined, as well as its prevalence in clinical and nonclinical populations, to consider who may be susceptible, whether certain foods are comforting, and what the implications for treatment may be. Comfort eating may occur in a substantial minority, particularly in women and the obese. Human and animal theories and models of emotional or stress-induced eating show some convergence, and may incorporate genetic predispositions such as impulsivity and reward sensitivity, associated with dopamine dysregulation underlying incentive salience. Comfort eaters show vulnerability to depression, emotional dysregulation and a need to escape negative affect and rumination. During negative affect, they preferentially consume sweet, fatty, energy-dense food, which may confer protection against stress, evidenced by suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response, although activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may itself drive appetite for these palatable foods, and the risk of weight gain is increased. Benefits to mood may be transient, but perhaps sufficient to encourage repeated attempts to prolong mood improvement or distract from negative rumination. Cognitive behavioural treatments may be useful, but reliable drug therapy awaits further pharmacogenomic developments.

The effects of a high eicosapentaenoic acid multinutrient supplement on measures of stress, anxiety and depression in young adults: Study protocol for NutriMOOD, a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Anxiety disorders affect nearly 20% of young adults aged 18-29 years. First-line treatment for anxiety disorders comprises pharmacotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, options often criticised for their low efficacy and safety. In contrast, fish-oil-based supplements comprising omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and supporting nutrients are gaining recognition as safe and effective alternatives. Here we present the protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of a high eicosapentaenoic acid multinutrient supplement on validated measures of anxiety and depression in healthy university students experiencing non-clinical levels of anxiety and depression. The primary outcome is improvement in anxiety compared to the placebo group assessed via the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment-7 scale. The participants will be randomised to active treatment comprising a daily dose of 1125 mg eicosapentaenoic acid, 441 mg docosahexaenoic acid, 330 mg magnesium and 7.5 mg vitamin E, or placebo, for 24 weeks, and will complete validated questionnaires and tablet-based tasks sensitive to mood at baseline and end of intervention. Circulating fatty acids and key biomarkers will also be assessed. The students will be genotyped for polymorphisms thought to influence the relationship between long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and affect. Trial registration; ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04844034.

Associations between number of siblings, birth order, eating rate and adiposity in children and adults.

Eating quickly is associated with eating larger amounts at mealtimes and faster eaters tend to have a higher BMI. Evidence suggests that sibling structure influences the development of childhood eating behaviours. We hypothesized that number of siblings and birth order might play a role in the development of eating rate. In two UK studies, children in Bristol (n = 132; Study 1) and adults and children in London (adults n = 552, children n = 256; Study 2) reported their eating rate, number of siblings, and birth order. A BMI measurement was obtained and in Study 2 waist circumference was recorded. Ordered logistic regression was used to examine effects of sibling structure on eating rate and linear regression assessed effects of eating rate on BMI. Faster eating was associated with higher BMI and a larger waist, in children and adults (ps < .01). In Study 1, first-born children were twice as likely to eat faster compared to children who were not first-born (P < .04). In Study 2, only-child adults reported eating slower than adults who were not first-born (P < .003). Additionally, higher number of siblings was associated with faster eating rate in children from Bristol (P < .05), but not in children from London. London adults without siblings ate slower than those with two or more (P = .01), but having one sibling was associated with eating faster than having two or more (P = .01). These findings reveal how birth order and number of siblings might influence eating rate. Exploring these relationships through direct observation would be beneficial in future studies.

Is comfort food actually comforting for emotional eaters? A (moderated) mediation analysis.

An important but unreplicated earlier finding on comfort eating was that the association between food intake and immediate mood improvement appeared to be mediated by the palatability of the food, and that this effect was more pronounced for high than for low emotional eaters [26]. This has not yet been formally tested using mediation and moderated mediation analysis. We conducted these analyses using data from two experiments on non-obese female students (n = 29 and n = 74). Mood and eating satisfaction in Study 1, and mood, tastiness and emotional eating in Study 2 were all self-reported. In Study 1, using a sad mood induction procedure, emotional eaters ate more food, and when mood was assessed immediately after food intake, 'eating satisfaction' acted as mediator between food intake and mood improvement (decrease in sadness or increase in happiness). In Study 2, where we measured the difference in actual food intake after a control or a stress task (modified Trier Social Stress Test), and assessed mood during the food intake after stress, we found significant moderated mediation. As expected, there was a significant positive mediation effect of tastiness between food intake and mood improvement in the high emotional eaters, but also a significant negative mediation effect of tastiness between food intake and mood improvement in the low emotional eaters. This suggests that tastiness promotes 'comfort' from food in female emotional eaters, but conflicts in non-emotional eaters with a tendency to eat less when stressed. In conclusion, palatable food may indeed provide comfort specifically for high emotional eaters during eating.

The effects of chronic tea intake on platelet activation and inflammation: a double-blind placebo controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Tea drinking appears to protect against the development of coronary heart disease (CHD), but the mediating pathways are uncertain. We studied the effects of 6 weeks of black tea or placebo on platelet activation, C-reactive protein (CRP), total antioxidant status, and soluble (s) P-Selectin in a randomized double-blind trial. METHODS: Healthy non-smoking men aged 18-55 years were randomized to black tea (N=37) or placebo (N=38) following a 4-week washout period during which they drank no tea, coffee or caffeinated beverages, but consumed caffeinated placebo tea. Bloods were drawn after 6 weeks of treatment. Platelet activation was assessed by measuring leukocyte-platelet aggregates using whole blood flow cytometry. RESULTS: Following treatment, the tea group had fewer monocyte-platelet aggregates (means 5.84 versus 6.60%, P=0.027), neutrophil-platelet aggregates (P=0.017), total leukocyte-platelet aggregates (P=0.027), and lower plasma C-reactive protein (means 0.76 versus 0.97 mg/L, P=0.05) than the placebo group. There were no differences in total antioxidant status or soluble P-Selectin. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic tea consumption reduces platelet activation and plasma C-reactive protein in healthy men. Effects cannot be attributed to observer bias or lifestyle confounders. These effects of tea may contribute to sustained cardiovascular health.

Neuroendocrine and cardiovascular correlates of positive affect measured by ecological momentary assessment and by questionnaire.

The relationships between positive affect, salivary cortisol over the day, and cardiovascular responses to laboratory mental stress tests, were assessed in 72 healthy non-smoking men (mean age 33.6+/-8.8 years). Positive affect was measured by aggregating ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of happiness obtained at four times on each of 2 working days, and by questionnaire using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Saliva was sampled on 2 days, on waking, 30 and 60 min later, and four other times over the day. Blood pressure and heart rate responses to speech and mirror tracing tasks were measured over two sessions 4 weeks apart. Data were analysed using regression of positive affect on biology adjusting for age, body mass and negative affect, with additional adjustment for time of waking in cortisol analyses and for work stress in cardiovascular analyses. EMA positive affect was inversely associated with cortisol early in the day and with the cortisol increase after waking, controlling for age, body mass index, and negative affect (P=0.012). There was no relationship between PANAS positive affect and cortisol, or between EMA positive affect and cortisol later in the day. Diastolic pressure recovery post-stress was more rapid among participants with high positive affect (P=0.022) and with lower systolic pressure throughout the stress sessions, after controlling for covariates including negative affect. PANAS positive affect was also inversely associated with systolic pressure, but not with diastolic stress or heart rate. We conclude that positive affect is related to biological responses in the laboratory and everyday life that may be health protective. Effects were substantially stronger when positive affect was assessed by aggregating EMA samples than with questionnaire measures.

The effects of tea on psychophysiological stress responsivity and post-stress recovery: a randomised double-blind trial.

RATIONALE: Tea has anecdotally been associated with stress relief, but this has seldom been tested scientifically. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of 6 weeks of black tea consumption, compared with matched placebo, on subjective, cardiovascular, cortisol and platelet responses to acute stress, in a parallel group double-blind randomised design. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five healthy nonsmoking men were withdrawn from tea, coffee and caffeinated beverages for a 4-week wash-out phase during which they drank four cups per day of a caffeinated placebo. A pretreatment laboratory test session was carried out, followed by either placebo (n = 38) or active tea treatment (n = 37) for 6 weeks, then, a final test session. Cardiovascular measures were obtained before, during and after two challenging behavioural tasks, while cortisol, platelet and subjective measures were assessed before and after tasks. RESULTS: The tasks induced substantial increases in blood pressure, heart rate and subjective stress ratings, but responses did not differ between tea and placebo treatments. Platelet activation (assessed using flow cytometry) was lower following tea than placebo treatment in both baseline and post-stress samples (P < 0.005). The active tea group also showed lower post-task cortisol levels compared with placebo (P = 0.032), and a relative increase in subjective relaxation during the post-task recovery period (P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with placebo, 6 weeks of tea consumption leads to lower post-stress cortisol and greater subjective relaxation, together with reduced platelet activation. Black tea may have health benefits in part by aiding stress recovery.

The importance of nutrition in aiding recovery from substance use disorders: A review.

BACKGROUND: Nutrition is a prerequisite for health; yet, there is no special nutritional assessment or guidance for drug and alcohol dependent individuals, despite the fact that their food consumption is often very limited, risking malnutrition. Further, the premise is examined that malnutrition may promote drug seeking and impede recovery from substance use disorders (SUD). METHOD: A narrative review addressed the relationship between substance use disorders and nutrition, including evidence for malnutrition, as well as their impact on metabolism and appetite regulation. The implications of the biopsychology of addiction and appetite for understanding the role of nutrition in SUD were also considered. RESULTS: The literature overwhelmingly finds that subjects with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug use disorder (DUD) typically suffer from nutrient deficiencies. These nutrient deficiencies may be complicit in the alcoholic myopathy, osteopenia and osteoporosis, and mood disorders including anxiety and depression, observed in AUD and DUD. These same individuals have also been found to have altered body composition and altered hormonal metabolic regulators. Additionally, brain processes fundamental for survival are stimulated both by food, particularly sweet foods, and by substances of abuse, with evidence supporting confusion (addiction transfer) when recovering from SUD between cravings for a substance and craving for food. CONCLUSION: Poor nutritional status in AUD and DUD severely impacts their physical and psychological health, which may impede their ability to resist substances of abuse and recover their health. This review contributes to a better understanding of interventions that could best support individuals with substance use disorders.

Understanding Food Fussiness and Its Implications for Food Choice, Health, Weight and Interventions in Young Children: The Impact of Professor Jane Wardle.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines the concepts of fussy eating and food neophobia in the context of key determinants of the development of children's food preferences. We discuss the evidence for genetic versus parental and other environmental influences on the ontogeny of these behavioural traits and the implications of current knowledge for interventions that attempt to lessen the impact of these traits on children's diets. Finally, we consider whether these traits increase the risk of a child becoming obese, or alternatively, underweight and malnourished. RECENT FINDINGS: Fussy eating and neophobia are related concepts with both genetic and environmental aetiologies. Parent-child correlations and heritability estimates are moderate to high for both traits, but aspects of the family environment remain influential in young children, although no longer in young adults. Parental strategies based around repeat tasting opportunities can improve acceptance of disliked foods in even the fussiest children. Fussy eating and neophobia are not risk factors for obesity but could limit growth in severe cases. Fussy eating and food neophobia are common concerns for parents, though health risks are low. Dissemination of evidence-based strategies to parents that can encourage a more varied diet in young children would be helpful.

Association between coffee consumption and markers of inflammation and cardiovascular function during mental stress.

BACKGROUND: Coffee is widely consumed in the Western diet and therefore has important implications for public health. Research findings pertaining to the effects of coffee consumption on cardiovascular health are conflicting, and the role of caffeine is not clear. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between coffee intake, inflammation and cardiovascular function at baseline and during mental stress, both cross-sectionally and after a 4-week period of withdrawal of coffee during which intake of caffeine was maintained. METHODS: Eighty-five healthy, non-smoking men with varying coffee-drinking habits were recruited. Blood pressure, heart rate, and markers of inflammation [C-reactive protein (CRP), von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF)], were measured at baseline and during mental stress. These measures were repeated after a 4-week period of withdrawal of coffee, during which intake of caffeine was maintained. Habitual levels of coffee and caffeine consumption were assessed from a self-reported questionnaire, and saliva samples for the analysis of caffeine concentrations were collected regularly throughout the period of withdrawal, to confirm compliance. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analysis of pre-withdrawal data, adjusted for age, body mass index and intake of tea, red wine, fruit, vegetables, oily fish and dietary supplements revealed that coffee consumption was positively related to baseline systolic blood pressure, and increased heart rate and vWF responses to mental stress. Four weeks after withdrawal of coffee, the heightened vWF and heart rate responses to stress in habitual coffee drinkers persisted, whereas baseline systolic blood pressure had decreased. Total caffeine intake was unrelated to any measures of physiological function. CONCLUSIONS: Habitual coffee consumption is associated with heightened acute vascular inflammatory responses to mental stress, although these effects are not affected by short-term abstinence from coffee. These findings suggest that the relationship between coffee and markers of cardiovascular risk may be explained by residual or unmeasured confounding factors.

The effects of effort-reward imbalance on inflammatory and cardiovascular responses to mental stress.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the influence of effort-reward imbalance, a stressful feature of the work environment, on cardiovascular and inflammatory responses to acute mental stress. METHODS: Ninety-two healthy men (mean age, 33.1 years) in full-time employment were recruited. Effort-reward imbalance was measured using a self-administered questionnaire. Blood, for the analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) antigen, was sampled at baseline and 10 minutes after two mental stress tasks, whereas cardiovascular activity was measured throughout. RESULTS: Plasma CRP and vWF were significantly elevated following the stress period, and cardiovascular activity was increased during and after both tasks (p < .001). Multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for age, body mass index, and baseline levels revealed that men with higher effort-reward imbalance demonstrated greater CRP and vWF responses to the stress tasks but blunted cardiovascular responses. Inflammatory and cardiovascular responses to stress appeared to be unrelated. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the association between chronic work stress and cardiovascular disease risk may be mediated in part by heightened acute inflammatory responsivity. These responses appear not to result from differences in sympathoadrenal activation.

Differences in Knowledge, Stress, Sensation Seeking, and Locus of Control Linked to Dietary Adherence in Hemodialysis Patients.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often require regular hemodialysis (HD) to prolong life. However, between HD sessions, patients have to restrict their diets carefully to avoid excess accumulation of potassium, phosphate, sodium, and fluid, which their diseased kidneys can no longer regulate. Failure to adhere to their renal dietary regimes can be fatal; nevertheless, non-adherence is common, and yet little is known about the psychological variables that might predict this dietary behavior. Thus, this study aimed to assess whether dietary adherence might be affected by a variety of psychological factors including stress, personality, and health locus of control, as well as dietary knowledge, in chronic HD patients. Fifty-one patients (30 men; age range 25-85) who had undergone HD for at least 3 months and had been asked to restrict at least one of potassium, phosphate or fluid, were recruited from a hospital renal unit. Measures of adherence to each of potassium, phosphate, and fluid were derived from standard criteria for these physiological indices in renal patients. Knowledge of food/drink sources of these dietary factors, and their medical implications in relation to HD and CKD were assessed by a bespoke questionnaire. Psychological factors including stress, personality and health locus of control beliefs were measured by standardized questionnaires. Having to restrict a particular nutrient was associated with better knowledge of both food sources and medical complications for that nutrient; however, greater dietary knowledge was not linked to adherence, and knowledge of medical complications tended to be associated with poorer adherence to potassium and phosphate levels. Adherence to these two nutrient requirements was also associated with lower reported stress in the past week. Adherence was associated with differences in locus of control: these differences varied across indices although there was a tendency to believe in external loci. For potassium, phosphate, and fluid restriction, adherers were less likely to be sensation seekers but did not differ from non-adherers on impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity, or hopelessness. In conclusion, the links between dietary adherence and stress, locus of control and personality suggests that screening for such psychological factors may assist in managing adherence in HD patients.

A High Omega-3 Fatty Acid Multinutrient Supplement Benefits Cognition and Mobility in Older Women: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Mobility is a key determinant of frailty in older persons, and a variety of dietary factors, such as the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are positively associated with decreased frailty and improved mobility and cognition in older persons. METHODS: The effects of a multinutrient supplement on mobility and cognition were assessed in postmenopausal women (60-84 years). Participants received either Efalex Active 50+ (1g DHA, 160 mg eicosapentaenoic acid, 240 mg Ginkgo biloba, 60 mg phosphatidylserine, 20mg d-α tocopherol, 1mg folic acid, and 20 µg vitamin B12 per day; N = 15) or placebo (N = 12) for 6 months. Mobility was assessed by VICON 9 motion capture camera system synchronized with Kistler force plates, cognitive performance by computerized cognitive function tests, and blood fatty acid levels by pin-prick analysis. RESULTS: Significant effects of treatment were seen in two of the four cognitive tests, with shorter mean latencies in a motor screening task (p < .05) and more words remembered (p < .03), and one of the three primary mobility measures with improved habitual walking speed (p < .05). Compared with the placebo group, supplementation also resulted in significantly higher blood DHA levels (p < .02). CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, multinutrient supplementation improved cognition and mobility in able older females at clinically relevant levels, suggesting a potential role in reducing the decline to frailty.

Differential facilitative effects of glucose administration on Stroop task conditions.

Previous research has demonstrated that glucose administration improves memory performance. These glucose facilitation effects have been most reliably demonstrated in medial temporal lobe tasks with the greatest effects found for cognitively demanding tasks. The aim of the proposed research was to first explore whether such effects might be demonstrated in a frontal lobe task. A second aim was to investigate whether any beneficial effects of glucose may arise more prominently under tasks of increasing cognitive demand. To achieve these aims, the Stroop Task was administered to participants and effects of a drink of glucose (25 g) were compared with an aspartame-sweetened control drink on performance in young adults. Results demonstrated that glucose ingestion significantly reduced RTs in the congruent and incongruent conditions. No effect on error rates was observed. Of most importance was the finding that this glucose facilitative effect was significantly greatest in the most cognitively demanding task, that is, the incongruent condition. The present results support the contention that the glucose facilitation effect is most robust under conditions of enhanced task difficulty and demonstrate that such benefits extend to frontal lobe function.

Habitual fat intake predicts memory function in younger women.

High intakes of fat have been linked to greater cognitive decline in old age, but such associations may already occur in younger adults. We tested memory and learning in 38 women (25 to 45 years old), recruited for a larger observational study in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. These women varied in health status, though not significantly between cases (n = 23) and controls (n = 15). Performance on tests sensitive to medial temporal lobe function (CANTABeclipse, Cambridge Cognition Ltd, Cambridge, UK), i.e., verbal memory, visuo-spatial learning, and delayed pattern matching (DMS), were compared with intakes of macronutrients from 7-day diet diaries and physiological indices of metabolic syndrome. Partial correlations were adjusted for age, activity, and verbal IQ (National Adult Reading Test). Greater intakes of saturated and trans fats, and higher saturated to unsaturated fat ratio (Sat:UFA), were associated with more errors on the visuo-spatial task and with poorer word recall and recognition. Unexpectedly, higher UFA intake predicted poorer performance on the word recall and recognition measures. Fasting insulin was positively correlated with poorer word recognition only, whereas higher blood total cholesterol was associated only with visuo-spatial learning errors. None of these variables predicted performance on a DMS test. The significant nutrient-cognition relationships were tested for mediation by total energy intake: saturated and trans fat intakes, and Sat:UFA, remained significant predictors specifically of visuo-spatial learning errors, whereas total fat and UFA intakes now predicted only poorer word recall. Examination of associations separately for monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats suggested that only MUFA intake was predictive of poorer word recall. Saturated and trans fats, and fasting insulin, may already be associated with cognitive deficits in younger women. The findings need extending but may have important implications for public health.

Developmental differences in sensory decision making involved in deciding to try a novel fruit.

OBJECTIVES: This research compared sensory processing and personality traits involved in deciding to try a novel fruit (guava) in adults and children. DESIGN: The research employed an age, sex, and food neophobia matched between-participant design to examine sensory decision making in choosing to eat a novel fruit. METHODS: Forty-four adults (Study 1) and 68 children (Study 2) took part. In each study, participants were separated into two groups to investigate whether prior assessment of a familiar and liked fruit (apple) that shares similar visual characteristics to the target novel fruit (guava) increased the likelihood that an individual would decide to try it. All participants completed appetitive and familiarity ratings by sensory stages: vision, smell, and touch, prior to trying (tasting) the fruit. Participants (or their parents) also completed the general and food neophobia scales and adults also completed the sensation-seeking scale. RESULTS: Twenty-eight adults (64%) tried the guava and 16 did not (36%). In the second study, 22 children decided not to try the novel fruit (32%). Significant predictors of whether the adult tried the target fruit were Thrill and Adventure Seeking, Experience Seeking, General Neophobia, and 'appealing to touch'. In children, Food Neophobia, concurrent presentation of a familiar fruit alongside the target and visual assessment of the target predicted decision to try the novel fruit. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that touch is pertinent to adults' decision to try a novel fruit, whereas visual cues appear to be more important for children.

Stress and adiposity: a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

Psychosocial stress has been strongly implicated in the biology of adiposity but epidemiological studies have produced inconsistent results. The aim of this analysis was to bring together results from published, longitudinal, prospective studies examining associations between psychosocial stress and objectively measured adiposity in a meta-analysis. Searches were conducted on Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed (to January 2009) and reference lists from relevant articles were examined. Prospective studies relating psychosocial stress (general life stress (including caregiver stress), work stress) to BMI, body fat, body weight, waist circumference, or waist-to-hip ratio were included. Analyses from 14 cohorts were collated and evaluated. There was no significant heterogeneity, no evidence of publication bias, and no association between study quality and outcomes. The majority of analyses found no significant relationship between stress and adiposity (69%), but among those with significant effects, more found positive than negative associations (25 vs. 6%). Combining results in a meta-analysis showed that stress was associated with increasing adiposity (r = 0.014; confidence interval (CI) = 0.002-0.025, P < 0.05). Effects were stronger for men than women, in analyses with longer rather than shorter follow-ups, and in better quality studies. We conclude that psychosocial stress is a risk factor for weight gain but effects are very small. Variability across studies indicates there are moderating variables to be elucidated.