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Aspartame, the primary sweetener in diet sodas (DS), has been linked by some users to neurological issues. Prospective studies showed that children of moms who regularly drank diet sodas or beverages (DSB) when pregnant had more health issues as adults. In this study by Fowler et al. (2023), the authors postulated that exposure to aspartame at levels equivalent to or greater than 1 DS/day (DSearly) or ≥177 mg/day of aspartame (ASPearly) during pregnancy and the first few years of life enhances the risk of autism. In the case-control Autism Tooth Fairy Study, mothers of 121 children who were growing normally and 235 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD: cases) provided retrospective food recalls for DSB and aspartame intake during pregnancy/breastfeeding. The exposure odds ratios (ORs) for autism, ASD, and non-regressive conditions were calculated for DSearly and ASPearly. Analysis of the results revealed that the DSearly odds for autism and non-regressive autism were quadrupled in men and that the ASPearly odds were significantly greater. Males had roughly double the odds of suffering from non-regressive ASD, although these odds were not statistically significant. Females showed no statistically significant relationships. The authors comment that their research adds to the expanding body of literature that expresses worry about possible damage to the unborn child from maternal DSB/aspartame use during pregnancy.

Dietary proteins supply amino acid precursors for the neurotransmitters melatonin and serotonin, which regulate sleep and alertness and are essential for biological cycles. In several areas worldwide, meat serves as the primary source of proteins. Furthermore, meat consumption is essential since it offers trans and saturated fatty acids and exceptional protein content. Its impact on sleeping habits, however, is uncertain. This study by Lana et al. (2019) aimed to investigate the relationship between routine meat eating and alterations in sleep duration and quality in older persons. Data from 1,341 seniors (≥60 years of age) in the Seniors-ENRICA cohort tracked from 2012 to 2015 was used. A validated diet history helped measure routine meat intake at the baseline. Meanwhile, the quantity and quality of sleep in 2012 and 2015 were documented. During the follow-up period, it was found that 9.0% of people had longer sleep cycles, whereas 7.9% had shorter ones by ≥2 hours/night. The highest tertile of meat eaters (128 g/d) had a higher incidence of a significant reduction in sleep duration (≥ two hours) compared to those in the lowest tertile (<87 g/d). Increased meat consumption was also linked to reduced sleep quality and more snoring incidents. An increase in meat consumption of 100 g/d was related to a 60% increased risk of significant changes in sleep length and subpar sleep. The study's findings did not differ in magnitude when different types of meats were considered (white meat separately or combinations of red and processed meats). The authors conclude that, in older people, increased meat intake (≥128 g/d) was linked to sleep quality and duration alterations.

The debilitating mental illness known as social anxiety disorder (SAD) is typified by extreme dread or anxiety in social settings and a deliberate attempt to avoid them. Effective therapeutic modalities are required since the biology causing SAD is uncertain. The gut microbiome has recently come to light as a critical regulator of behavior and the brain, particularly concerning social function—furthermore, mounting evidence points to the involvement of oxytocin signaling and immunological function in social reactions. Ritz et al. (2024) used 16S rRNA sequencing to identify the gut microbiota of SAD patients, which was shown to have a different composition than that of healthy controls. Transplantation of SAD patients' microbiota into mice was performed to examine if it is causally related to the modulation of behaviors associated with SAD. Despite exhibiting normal behavior on a series of tests intended to evaluate depression and general anxiety-like behaviors, the mice given the SAD microbiota were found to have increased sensitivity to social dread, a pattern seen in SAD. On a cerebral level, the stria terminalis's bed nucleus (part of a key pathway between the hypothalamic and amygdala regions of the brain) expressed oxytocin and alterations in both the central and peripheral immune systems were observed in addition to the elevated social anxiety response. The authors suggest that their work highlights the microbiome as a possible treatment target for social anxiety disorder (SAD) and shows an interkingdom foundation for social fear reactions.

A sizable amount of research suggests that food choices are heritable. Although vegetarianism has been practiced for millennia in many different countries, there is still a small percentage of vegetarians in the world, and it has yet to be widely known how much heredity plays a part in selecting a vegetarian diet. Dietary decisions entail a complex interaction between the physiological effects of food, taste perception, and metabolism - all significantly impacted by heredity. In this work by Yaseen et al. (2023), the authors performed a GAWS: genome-wide association study to locate loci in UK Biobank individuals related to the practice of strict vegetarianism. Analysis of the results indicated one SNP on chromosome 18 that is substantially linked with vegetarianism on a genome-wide level (rs72884519) and an additional 201 suggestively significant variations when comparing data on 5,324 strict vegetarians to 329,455 controls. rs72884519 is linked to the RIOK3, TMEM241, NPC1, and RMC1 genes. In addition, the authors discovered 34 genes that may have a role in vegetarianism using the Functional Mapping and Annotation (FUMA) platform and the Multi-marker Analysis of GenoMic Annotation (MAGMA) tool, three of these genes were found to be GWAS-significant based on gene-level analysis: RMC1, RIOK3, and NPC1. Variations in lipid metabolism and their impact on the brain may contribute to the capacity to survive on a vegetarian diet. These genes, which include NPC1, TMEM241, and RMC1, have significant roles in lipid metabolism and brain function. The authors comment that their findings provide credence to the idea that genetics may play a role in the decision to follow a vegetarian diet and pave the way for future research to understand better the physiologic mechanisms underlying vegetarianism.