Cohort-Based Reference Values for Serum Ferritin and Transferrin and Longitudinal Determinants of Iron Status in European Children Aged 3-15 Years.

BACKGROUND: Reference values of ferritin and transferrin for European children do not exist. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to provide sex-, age-, and body mass index (BMI)-specific serum ferritin and transferrin reference percentiles of 3-15-y-old children based on cohort data and to investigate determinants of iron status. METHODS: A total of 3390 ferritin and 3416 transferrin measurements from children residing in 8 European countries participating in the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort (https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN62310987) at baseline (W0) and 6 y later (W3) were used to estimate percentiles using the generalized additive model for location, scale and shape. Associations of serum ferritin and transferrin concentrations with total iron intake, total iron intake additionally adjusted for vitamin C intake, and iron from heme sources were investigated separately with adjustment for sex, age, country of residence, parental education, usual energy intake and BMI z-score in regression models using cross-sectional and longitudinal data. RESULTS: The age-specific ferritin and transferrin 5th and 95th reference percentiles ranged from 10.9 to 81.1 µg/L and 2.23 to 3.56 g/L, respectively. A deficient iron status was observed in 3% of children at W0 and 7% of children and adolescents at W3, respectively. At both waves, a higher iron intake from heme sources was positively associated with serum ferritin {W0: ß = 3.21 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71, 5.71]; W3: ß = 4.48 [95% CI: 2.09, 6.87]}, that is, children consuming one mg more heme iron had a 3.21 and 4.48 µg/L higher ferritin concentration. Adherence to a mainly vegetarian diet was associated with a lower chance for sufficient serum ferritin cross-sectionally at W3 [odds ratio (OR) 0.40 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.81)] and longitudinally [OR 0.35 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.93)]. CONCLUSIONS: Age-, sex-, and BMI-specific reference percentiles of serum ferritin and transferrin concentrations based on cohort data are provided for European children aged 3-15 y and may be used in clinical practice.

Identification and Replication of Urine Metabolites Associated With Short-Term and Habitual Intake of Sweet and Fatty Snacks in European Children and Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Intake of sweet and fatty snacks may partly contribute to the occurrence of obesity and other health conditions in childhood. Traditional dietary assessment methods may be limited in accurately assessing the intake of sweet and fatty snacks in children. Metabolite biomarkers may aid the objective assessment of children's food intake and support establishing diet-disease relationships. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to identify biomarkers of sweet and fatty snack intake in 2 independent cohorts of European children. METHODS: We used data from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort from baseline (2007/2008) and 2 follow-up examination waves (2009/2010 and 2013/2014). In total, 1788 urine samples from 599 children were analyzed for untargeted metabolomics using high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Short-term dietary intake was assessed by 24-h dietary recalls, and habitual dietary intake was calculated with the National Cancer Institute method. Data from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinal Designed (DONALD) cohort of 24-h urine samples (n = 567) and 3-d weighted dietary records were used for external replication of results. Multivariate modeling with unbiased variable selection in R algorithms and linear mixed models were used to identify novel biomarkers. Metabolite features significantly associated with dietary intake were then annotated. RESULTS: In total, 66 metabolites were discovered and found to be statistically significant for chocolate candy; cakes, puddings, and cookies; candy and sweets; ice cream; and crisps. Most of the features (n = 62) could not be annotated. Short-term and habitual chocolate intake were positively associated with theobromine, xanthosine, and cyclo(L-prolyl-L-valyl). These results were replicated in the DONALD cohort. Short-term candy and sweet intake was negatively associated with octenoylcarnitine. CONCLUSIONS: Of the potential metabolite biomarkers of sweet and fatty snacks in children, 3 biomarkers of chocolate intake, namely theobromine, xanthosine, and cyclo(L-prolyl-L-valyl), are externally replicated. However, these potential biomarkers require further validation in children.

MAOA methylation is associated with impulsive and antisocial behaviour: dependence on allelic variation, family environment and diet.

Congenital absence of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) activity predisposes to antisocial impulsive behaviour, and the MAOA uVNTR low-expressing genotype (MAOA-L) together with childhood maltreatment is associated with similar phenotypes in males. A possible explanation of how family environment may lead to such behaviour involves DNA methylation. We have assessed MAOA methylation and impulsive/antisocial behaviour in 121 males from the Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study. Of the 12 CpG sites measured, methylation levels at the locus designated CpG3 were significantly lower in subjects with antisocial behaviour involving police contact. CpG3 methylation was lower in subjects with alcohol use disorder by age 25, but only in MAOA-H genotype. No correlation between MAOA CpG3 methylation levels and adaptive impulsivity was found at age 15, but in MAOA-L genotype a positive correlation appeared by age 18. By age 25, this positive correlation was no longer observed in subjects with better family relationships but had increased further with experience of adversity within the family. MAOA CpG3 methylation had different developmental dynamics in relation to maladaptive impulsivity. At age 18, a positive correlation was observed in MAOA-L genotype with inferior family relationships and a negative correlation was found in MAOA-H with superior home environment; both of these associations had disappeared by age 25. CpG3 methylation was associated with dietary intake of several micronutrients, most notable was a negative correlation with the intake of zinc, but also with calcium, potassium and vitamin E; a positive correlation was found with intake of phosphorus. In conclusion, MAOA CpG3 methylation is related to both maladaptive and adaptive impulsivity in adolescence in MAOA-L males from adverse home environment. By young adulthood, this relationship with maladaptive impulsivity had disappeared but with adaptive impulsivity strengthened. Thus, MAOA CpG3 methylation may serve as a marker for adaptive developmental neuroplasticity in MAOA-L genotype. The mechanisms involved may include dietary factors.

The role of psychosocial well-being and emotion-driven impulsiveness in food choices of European adolescents.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether a hypothetical intervention targeting either psychosocial well-being or emotion-driven impulsiveness is more effective in reducing unhealthy food choices. Therefore, we aimed to compare the (separate) causal effects of psychosocial well-being and emotion-driven impulsiveness on European adolescents' sweet and fat propensity. METHODS: We included 2,065 participants of the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort (mean age: 13.4) providing self-reported data on sweet propensity (score range: 0 to 68.4), fat propensity (range: 0 to 72.6), emotion-driven impulsiveness using the UPPS-P negative urgency subscale, and psychosocial well-being using the KINDLR Questionnaire. We estimated, separately, the average causal effects of psychosocial well-being and emotion-driven impulsiveness on sweet and fat propensity applying a semi-parametric doubly robust method (targeted maximum likelihood estimation). Further, we investigated a potential indirect effect of psychosocial well-being on sweet and fat propensity mediated via emotion-driven impulsiveness using a causal mediation analysis. RESULTS: If all adolescents, hypothetically, had high levels of psychosocial well-being, compared to low levels, we estimated a decrease in average sweet propensity by 1.43 [95%-confidence interval: 0.25 to 2.61]. A smaller effect was estimated for fat propensity. Similarly, if all adolescents had high levels of emotion-driven impulsiveness, compared to low levels, average sweet propensity would be decreased by 2.07 [0.87 to 3.26] and average fat propensity by 1.85 [0.81 to 2.88]. The indirect effect of psychosocial well-being via emotion-driven impulsiveness was 0.61 [0.24 to 1.09] for average sweet propensity and 0.55 [0.13 to 0.86] for average fat propensity. CONCLUSIONS: An intervention targeting emotion-driven impulsiveness, compared to psychosocial well-being, would be marginally more effective in reducing sweet and fat propensity in adolescents.

To Each His Own Fear: Gender-Related Association of Anxiety, Substance Use, and Eating Disorders in a Representative Birth Cohort Sample of Young Adults with Either COMT Val158Met allele.

INTRODUCTION: The role of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) in catecholamine neurotransmitter metabolism has led to the investigation of variants of the corresponding gene in the etiology of different psychiatric disorders, but the results are inconclusive. METHODS: We have examined the relationship between COMT Val158Met single nucleotide polymorphism (rs4680) and the occurrence of psychiatric disorders in a highly representative birth cohort sample of young adults in the Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study (original n = 1,238). The lifetime occurrence of psychiatric disorders at the age of 25 years was assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. RESULTS: Both Val- and Met-alleles of the COMT Val158Met were associated with specific psychiatric disorders. Met-allele carriers had a significantly higher occurrence of agoraphobia (3.2% vs. 0.5%; χ2 = 4.10; p < 0.05) compared to Val/Val homozygotes. Also, the occurrence of panic disorder was significantly higher in female Met-allele carriers than in Val/Val homozygote females (10.2% vs. 3.6%; χ2 = 4.62 p = 0.03). In contrast, the occurrence of generalized anxiety disorder was higher in Val/Val females when compared to Met-allele carriers (12.7% vs. 6.8%; χ2 = 4.16; p = 0.04). Also, female Val/Val homozygotes (15.5%) had a higher occurrence of eating disorders than Met-allele carriers (6.1%) of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism (χ2 = 10.39; p = 0.002). In the whole sample, Met-allele homozygotes had a higher occurrence of alcohol use and substance use disorders than Val-allele carriers (χ2 = 3.62 and 3.68, respectively; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In a regional highly birth cohort representative sample, either COMT rs4680 variant was observed in association with specific psychiatric disorders.

Longitudinal associations between vitamin D status and biomarkers of inflammation in a pan-European cohort of children and adolescents.

PURPOSE: To investigate longitudinal associations between the vitamin D status and inflammatory markers in children and adolescents. METHODS: Children from eight European countries from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort with repeated measurements were included in this study. A linear mixed-effect model was used to model the association of serum 25(OH)D as independent variable and z-scores of inflammatory markers [CRP, cytokines, adipokines, combined inflammation score] as dependent variables, where one level accounts for differences between individuals and the other for changes over age within individuals. RESULTS: A total of 1,582 children were included in the study. In the adjusted model, 25(OH)D levels were positively associated with adiponectin (ß = 0.11 [95% CI 0.07; 0.16]) and negatively with the inflammation score (ß = - 0.24 [95% CI - 0.40; - 0.08]) indicating that the adiponectin z-score increased by 0.11 units and the inflammation score decreased by 0.24 units per 12.5 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D. In children with overweight or obesity, only a positive association between 25(OH)D and IP-10 was observed while in children with normal weight adiponectin was positively and the inflammation score was negatively associated. Associations of vitamin D with adiponectin and the inflammation score were stronger in girls than in boys and a positive association with TNF-α was observed only in girls. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that an increase in vitamin D concentrations may help to regulate inflammatory biomarkers. However, it seems to be no benefit of a better vitamin D status in children with overweight/obesity unless their weight is managed to achieve an improved inflammatory marker status.

Reliability of Parental Recall of Birth Weight, Birth Length and Gestational Age in the Multicenter Cohort Study IDEFICS.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability of parental recall of birth weight, birth length and gestational age several years after birth. METHODS: Parentally recalled birth parameters were obtained from the European multicentric cohort study IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) and compared to the corresponding data externally recorded in the child's medical check-up booklet. The agreement between the two sources was examined using Bland-Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficients and Cohen's kappa for clinically relevant categories. Additionally, logistic regression models were used to identify factors related to parental recall accuracy. RESULTS: A total of 4930 children aged 2 to 11 years were included. Accuracy of birth weight within 100 g was 88%, 94% of the recalled birth length was within 2 cm, and 99% of the parents could recall with 2 weeks accuracy how many weeks their child was delivered preterm. Discrepancies of more than two weeks or more than 100 g were more likely in parents of low or medium socioeconomic status. Non-biological parents were 3.4 times more likely to have a discrepancy of more than 100 g compared to biological mothers (95% CI 1.7-6.7). Moreover, parents were less likely to accurately recall their child's birth parameters with increasing number of children within a family. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: In general, parents' information matched well with the medical check-up booklet. However, accuracy varied among different groups which should be taken into consideration when using birth data recalled by parents in studies of child health.

Neuropeptide Y gene variants and Agreeableness: interaction effect with the birth cohort and the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism.

OBJECTIVE: Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a powerful regulator of anxious states, including social anxiety, but evidence from human genetic studies is limited. Associations of common gene variants with behaviour have been described as subject to birth cohort effects, especially if the behaviour is socially motivated. This study aimed to examine the association of NPY rs16147 and rs5574 with personality traits in highly representative samples of two birth cohorts of young adults, the samples having been formed during a period of rapid societal transition. METHODS: Both birth cohorts (original n = 1238) of the Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study (ECPBHS) self-reported personality traits of the five-factor model at 25 years of age. RESULTS: A significant interaction effect of the NPY rs16147 and rs5574 and birth cohort on Agreeableness was found. The T/T genotype of NPY rs16147 resulted in low Agreeableness in the older cohort (born 1983) and in high Agreeableness in the younger cohort (born 1989). The C/C genotype of NPY rs5574 was associated with higher Agreeableness in the younger but not in the older cohort. In the NPY rs16147 T/T homozygotes, the deviations from average in Agreeableness within the birth cohort were dependent on the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS: The association between the NPY gene variants and a personality domain reflecting social desirability is subject to change qualitatively in times of rapid societal changes, serving as an example of the relationship between the plasticity genes and environment. The underlying mechanism may involve the development of the serotonergic system.

Genetic associations vary across the spectrum of fasting serum insulin: results from the European IDEFICS/I.Family children's cohort.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: There is increasing evidence for the existence of shared genetic predictors of metabolic traits and neurodegenerative disease. We previously observed a U-shaped association between fasting insulin in middle-aged women and dementia up to 34 years later. In the present study, we performed genome-wide association (GWA) analyses for fasting serum insulin in European children with a focus on variants associated with the tails of the insulin distribution. METHODS: Genotyping was successful in 2825 children aged 2-14 years at the time of insulin measurement. Because insulin levels vary during childhood, GWA analyses were based on age- and sex-specific z scores. Five percentile ranks of z-insulin were selected and modelled using logistic regression, i.e. the 15th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 85th percentile ranks (P15-P85). Additive genetic models were adjusted for age, sex, BMI, survey year, survey country and principal components derived from genetic data to account for ethnic heterogeneity. Quantile regression was used to determine whether associations with variants identified by GWA analyses differed across quantiles of log-insulin. RESULTS: A variant in the SLC28A1 gene (rs2122859) was associated with the 85th percentile rank of the insulin z score (P85, p value=3×10-8). Two variants associated with low z-insulin (P15, p value <5×10-6) were located on the RBFOX1 and SH3RF3 genes. These genes have previously been associated with both metabolic traits and dementia phenotypes. While variants associated with P50 showed stable associations across the insulin spectrum, we found that associations with variants identified through GWA analyses of P15 and P85 varied across quantiles of log-insulin. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The above results support the notion of a shared genetic architecture for dementia and metabolic traits. Our approach identified genetic variants that were associated with the tails of the insulin spectrum only. Because traditional heritability estimates assume that genetic effects are constant throughout the phenotype distribution, the new findings may have implications for understanding the discrepancy in heritability estimates from GWA and family studies and for the study of U-shaped biomarker-disease associations.

Cardiometabolic risk profile among children with migrant parents and role of parental education: the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Evidence shows that migrant children have a higher risk of developing obesity than those with native parents. We aimed to investigate the association between parental migration background and cardiometabolic health in children and adolescents in Europe. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included 8745 children aged 2-17 from the second follow-up of the European IDEFICS/I.Family cohort. Linear regression models were used to investigate the association between parental migration background (one or two migrant parent(s) vs native parents) and body mass index (BMI), metabolic syndrome (MetS) score and its individual components. Outcome variables were parametrized as age and sex-specific z-scores. We adjusted for age, sex, country, and parental education, and additionally for parental income, lifestyle including dietary factors, and maternal BMI. On average, children with two migrant parents had higher z-scores of BMI (+0.24 standard deviation (SD)) and MetS score (+0.30 SD) compared to those with native parents, whereas no significant differences were seen for children with one migrant parent. Associations were attenuated when controlling for maternal BMI and sports club activity. Parental education modified the associations with BMI and MetS z-scores such that they were more pronounced in children with low parental education. CONCLUSION: Children with two migrant parents were at higher risk for adverse cardiometabolic health compared to children with native parents, especially in families with low parental education. These associations were explained by lower physical activity and maternal body weight and encourages early intervention strategies by schools and communities.

Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of aggressive behaviour: a longitudinal population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Human aggression is influenced by an interplay between genetic predisposition and experience across the life span. This interaction is thought to occur through epigenetic mechanisms, inducing differential gene expression, thereby moderating neuronal cell and circuit function, and thus shaping aggressive behaviour. METHODS: Genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) levels were measured in peripheral blood obtained from 95 individuals participating in the Estonian Children Personality Behaviours and Health Study (ECPBHS) at 15 and 25 years of age. We examined the association between aggressive behaviour, as measured by Life History of Aggression (LHA) total score and DNAm levels both assessed at age 25. We further examined the pleiotropic effect of genetic variants regulating LHA-associated differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and multiple traits related to aggressive behaviours. Lastly, we tested whether the DNA methylomic loci identified in association with LHA at age 25 were also present at age 15. RESULTS: We found one differentially methylated position (DMP) (cg17815886; p = 1.12 × 10-8 ) and five differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated with LHA after multiple testing adjustments. The DMP annotated to the PDLIM5 gene, and DMRs resided in the vicinity of four protein-encoding genes (TRIM10, GTF2H4, SLC45A4, B3GALT4) and a long intergenic non-coding RNA (LINC02068). We observed evidence for the colocalization of genetic variants associated with top DMPs and general cognitive function, educational attainment and cholesterol levels. Notably, a subset of the DMPs associated with LHA at age 25 also displayed altered DNAm patterns at age 15 with high accuracy in predicting aggression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the potential role of DNAm in the development of aggressive behaviours. We observed pleiotropic genetic variants associated with identified DMPs, and various traits previously established to be relevant in shaping aggression in humans. The concordance of DNAm signatures in adolescents and young adults may have predictive value for inappropriate and maladaptive aggression later in life.

Association of Impulsivity With Food, Nutrients, and Fitness in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Impulsivity is a psychiatric vulnerability factor strongly associated with substance abuse but also with unhealthy diet. Whether these associations extend to specific nutrients is largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the longitudinal association between diet, cardiorespiratory fitness, and 2 impulsivity dimensions in a representative sample of south Estonian adolescents and young adults. Impulsivity and dietary intake were measured 3 times in 2 birth cohorts at regular intervals in individuals aged 15 to 33 years. METHODS: The sample included 2 birth cohorts of the longitudinal Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study. The analytic sample size consisted of 2883 observations (56.4% females). The primary outcomes were adaptive and maladaptive impulsivity scores measured by an original 24-item Likert-type questionnaire. Impulsivity scores were predicted from the food diaries data converted into nutrient categories. A linear mixed-effects approach was used to model the time dependence between observations. RESULTS: Lower maladaptive impulsivity was associated with higher cardiorespiratory fitness (ß = -.07; 95% CI = -0.12; -0.03). Higher maladaptive impulsivity was associated with lower dietary intake of zinc (ß = -.10; -0.15; -0.06) and vegetables (ß = -.04; -0.07; -0.01) and higher intake of sodium (ß = .06; 0.02; 0.10). Vitamin B6 was positively associated with adaptive impulsivity (ß = .04; 0.01; 0.07). Additionally, some of the adjusted models showed significant but weak associations with selenium, alcohol, fish, and cereal products. CONCLUSIONS: Food choice may affect the neurochemistry and therefore regulate the manifestations of impulsivity. We identified associations between several (micro)nutrients and maladaptive impulsivity.

Longitudinal association of inflammatory markers with markers of glycaemia and insulin resistance in European children.

PURPOSE: Subclinical systemic inflammation may lead to development of type 2 diabetes, but there has been no investigation into its relationship with early progression of glycaemic deterioration and insulin resistance, especially in younger population. In this study we assessed longitudinal associations of pro- and anti-inflammatory markers with markers that evaluate glycaemia and insulin resistance. METHODS: This study includes 6537 initially nondiabetic children (mean age at baseline = 6.2 years) with repeated measurements from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort study (mean follow-up = 5.3 years) from eight European countries. Markers of inflammation were used as independent variables and markers of glycaemia/insulin resistance as dependent variables. Associations were examined using two-level growth model. Models were adjusted for sex, age, major lifestyle, metabolic risk factors, early life markers, and other inflammatory markers in final model. RESULTS: Children with 6 years of follow-up showed that a one-unit increase in z-score of leptin level was associated with 0.38 (95% CI = 0.32 to 0.44) unit increase in HOMA-IR z-scores. Leptin continued to be associated with HOMA-IR even when analysis was limited to children with no overall obesity, no abdominal obesity, and low to normal triglyceride levels. An inverse association was observed between IL-15 and HOMA-IR (ß = -0.11, 95% CI = -0.15 to -0.07). CONCLUSIONS: IL-15 should be evaluated further in the prevention or treatment of prediabetes whereas leptin may prove to be useful in early detection of prediabetes via their association with markers of insulin resistance in European children.

Improving cardiorespiratory fitness protects against inflammation in children: the IDEFICS study.

BACKGROUND: Muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness (MF and CRF) have been related to inflammation. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between fitness and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in European children both in the cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. METHODS: Three hundred and fifty-seven children (46.2% males) aged 2-9 years with hs-CRP measured, data from MF and CRF, diet quality, objectively measured physical activity (PA) and screen time at baseline and follow-up after 2 years were included. Body mass index z-score (zBMI), waist circumference (WC) and fat mass index (FMI) were assessed. MF and CRF were also dichotomized as follows: low-medium quartiles (Q1-Q3) and highest quartile (Q4). RESULTS: At follow-up, children with the highest CRF (Q4) showed a lower probability of having high hs-CRP. In the longitudinal analysis, children who improved their CRF over time showed a significantly lower probability (p < 0.05) of being in the highest hs-CRP category at follow-up, independently of the body composition index considered: odds ratio (OR) = 0.22 for zBMI, OR = 0.17 for WC, and OR = 0.21 for FMI. CONCLUSIONS: Improving CRF during childhood reduces the odds of an inflammatory profile, independently of body composition and lifestyle behaviours. These highlight the importance of enhancing fitness, especially CRF, to avoid an inflammatory state in children. IMPACT: Improvements in the cardiorespiratory profile during childhood could reverse an unfavourable inflammatory status. There is a longitudinal and inverse association between CRF and inflammation in children. This is the first longitudinal study assessing the relationship between fitness and inflammation during childhood that takes also into account the lifestyle behaviours. Results from the present study suggest a protective role of fitness already in childhood. Efforts to improve fitness in children should be aimed at as inflammation could trigger future cardiovascular disease.

Longitudinal association of childhood physical activity and physical fitness with physical activity in adolescence: insights from the IDEFICS/I.Family study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine associations of early childhood physical fitness and physical activity (PA) with PA during later childhood/early adolescence while accounting for gender differences. METHODS: We selected data of N = 4329 children from the IDEFICS/I. Family cohort (age 2.4-11.7 years) with data on baseline fitness and accelerometer measurements. At baseline, physical fitness tests were conducted including Flamingo balance, Backsaver sit and reach, Handgrip strength, Standing Long Jump, 40-m sprint and 20-m Shuttle run (to estimate cardio-respiratory fitness levels). PA was measured with Actigraph accelerometers over 3 days at baseline (ActiTrainer or GT1M) and 7 days at follow-up (GT3X). Evenson cutpoints were used to determine moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) time, and children with ≥60mins/day of average MVPA were deemed as having met WHO guidelines at baseline and follow-up. Linear and logistic regressions were performed to examine longitudinal associations between meeting WHO guidelines, MVPA, and physical fitness tests at baseline with meeting WHO guidelines and MVPA at follow-up. Models were conducted on the entire sample, the sex-stratified sample, and stratified by sex and pubertal status at follow-up. RESULTS: Results showed that meeting WHO guidelines for MVPA at baseline was positively associated with MVPA (Standardized Beta (B) = 0.13, 95%CI:(5.6;11.1)) and meeting WHO guidelines at follow-up for the entire sample (OR = 2.1, 95%CI:(1.5; 3.14), and stratified by males (OR = 2.5, 95%CI:(1.5; 4.1)) and females (OR = 1.8, 95%CI:(1.0; 3.2)). This was also found for both male pre/early pubertal and pubertal groups but only in the female pre/early pubertal group, and not the female pubertal group (MVPA: B = .00, 95%CI:(- 6.1; 5.6), WHO: OR = 0.61, 95%CI:(0.23;1.6)). Models indicated that Standing Long jump, 40-m sprint, Shuttle run and Flamingo balance at baseline were associated with MVPA and meeting the guidelines at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Meeting WHO guidelines and certain fitness tests at baseline were strongly associated with MVPA and meeting WHO guidelines at follow-up, but this association varied with sex and pubertal status. Consequently, these findings underline the importance of ensuring sufficient physical activity in terms of quality and quantity for children at the earliest stages of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN62310987.

Family Relationships and Alcohol Consumption: Interaction with the Serotonin Transporter Promoter Polymorphism (5-HTTLPR).

INTRODUCTION: The interaction of environmental and inherited factors determines how a young person becomes involved in problem behaviours such as drinking alcohol. We have investigated whether the association of family relationships with early experience with alcohol is related to variation in the serotonin transporter gene promoter region (5-HTTLPR). METHODS: We used data of the two birth cohorts of the Estonian Personality Behaviour and Health Study (original n = 1,238) at age 15 and 18 years. Data were self-reported in a laboratory setting. RESULTS: Family relationships at age 15 years were significantly related to the frequency of drinking alcohol. Specifically, association of Warmth in Family (closeness and support within family) with consuming alcohol was in a negative, while maltreatment (misprize and abuse) in a positive relationship with alcohol consumption. At age 18 years, the effects of family relationships on consuming alcohol were lower and no longer statistically significant (p values >0.10). The associations between family relations and alcohol use at age 15 years varied by the 5-HTTLPR genotype: at this age, the impact of the family relations, both Warmth and Maltreatment, on the frequency of drinking alcohol was statistically significant among participants with the S/L genotype, and while rather similar results were obtained for the S/S genotype, no relations were apparent between family relations and consuming alcohol in subjects with the L/L genotype. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal that family relations are related to alcohol consumption, dependent upon the 5-HTTLPR genotype. This is compatible with the hypothesis that the S-allele carriers are more malleable by the environment.

Correlates of bitter, sweet, salty and umami taste sensitivity in European children: Role of sex, age and weight status - The IDEFICS study.

We aimed to describe differences in taste sensitivity in children according to age across 7- to 11-year-old children from eight European countries. We further compared taste sensitivity between boys vs. girls and under-/normal weight vs. overweight/obese children. Within the European multicentre IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) study, 1938 school children participated in sweet, bitter, salty and umami detection threshold tests between 2007 and 2010, using the paired comparison staircase method. The lowest concentration at which the child was able to detect a difference to water was determined as taste detection threshold as a proxy of taste sensitivity. Mean taste thresholds were calculated stratified for sex, age groups, weight groups and country. BMI was calculated using measured height and weight; socio-demographic information was collected using questionnaires. Ordinal logistic regressions were conducted to investigate the association between sex, weight status (as categorical exposure variable) and age (as continuous exposure variable) and the taste sensitivity for the four taste modalities (as outcome), separately. Older children were more taste sensitive for sweet and salty and less taste sensitive for umami and bitter than younger children. Girls were more sensitive to sweet taste than boys. Overweight or obese children were less sensitive to sweet and salty taste compared to normal weight children This was the first study comparing taste sensitivity by measuring taste thresholds in children across different European countries. We conclude that taste thresholds are associated with weight status, children become more sensitive to sweet and salty tastes with increasing age, and girls might be more sensitive to sweet than boys.

Schoolchildren's autobiographical memory: COMT gene Val158Met polymorphism effects on emotional content and quality of first memories.

Autobiographical memory is a cognitive function strongly related to emotional processing as autobiographical memory often includes emotional content. The COMT gene Val158Met polymorphism is associated with both cognitive and emotional processing. COMT gene Val158Met polymorphism effects on the emotional content and quality of Estonian schoolchildren's first autobiographical memories were investigated in the present study. In addition, gender effects were considered and the emotional valence of the first memory was taken into account. Schoolchildren's (N = 234) first memories were coded for valence, emotion words, specificity, and details. Girls were more likely to provide specific memories and recollections with an emotional valence than boys were. Children described memories with a positive or a negative valence in more detail than neutral memories. Interactions between the COMT gene Val158Met polymorphism and gender and valence of the events were detected: Val/Met heterozygotes provided fewer details for emotional events; Val/Met heterozygote boys reported fewer details for their first memories than Val/Met heterozygote girls did; Met/Met homozygote children provided fewer evaluative details for emotional events.

Associations Between Psychosocial Well-Being, Stressful Life Events and Emotion-Driven Impulsiveness in European Adolescents.

Knowing the extent to which mental well-being and stressful life events during adolescence contribute to personality characteristics related to risk-taking behaviors, such as emotion-driven impulsiveness, is highly relevant for the development of health promotion measures. This study examined whether psychosocial well-being and different stressful life events are associated with emotion-driven impulsiveness. In total, 3,031 adolescents (52% girls; Mage = 13.6 years) were included from the I. Family Study, a cross-sectional examination on lifestyle-related behaviors conducted across eight European countries in 2013/14. Linear mixed-effects regression models showed that higher psychosocial well-being was associated with lower emotion-driven impulsiveness independent of socio-demographic, health-related, and parental variables. A higher number of stressful life events was associated with higher emotion-driven impulsiveness. Psychosocial well-being and stressful life events need to be further considered in the development and tailoring of health promotion strategies that aim to reduce emotion-driven impulsiveness.

Cholecystokinin B receptor gene polymorphism (rs2941026) is associated with anxious personality and suicidal thoughts in a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: Cholecystokinin is a neuropeptide with a role in the neurobiology of adaptive behaviour that is implicated in anxiety disorders, while the underlying mechanisms currently remain insufficiently explained. The rs2941026 variation in the cholecystokinin B receptor gene has previously been associated with trait anxiety. Our aim was to investigate associations between the CCKB receptor gene polymorphism rs2941026 with anxiety, personality, depressiveness and suicidality in a longitudinal study of late adolescence and early adulthood. METHODS: We used reports on trait and state anxiety, depressiveness and suicidal thoughts, as well as Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales, from the two birth cohorts of the Estonian Children Personality, Behaviour and Health Study. We measured associations between the CCKBR gene rs2941026 and anxiety-related phenotypes both longitudinally and cross-sectionally at ages 15, 18, 25 and 33. RESULTS: Homozygosity for both alleles of the CCKBR rs2941026 was associated with higher trait and state anxiety in the longitudinal analysis. Cross-sectional comparisons were statistically significant at ages 18 and 25 for trait anxiety and at ages 25 and 33 for state anxiety. Higher depressiveness and suicidal thoughts were associated with the A/A genotype at age 18. Additionally, homozygosity for the A-allele was related to higher FEAR and SADNESS in the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales. The genotype effects were more apparent in females, who displayed higher levels of negative affect overall. CONCLUSIONS: CCKBR genotype is persistently associated with negative affect in adolescence and young adulthood. The association of the CCKBR rs2941026 genotype with anxiety-related phenotypes is more pronounced in females.