Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Eat2beNICE (Effects of Nutrition and Lifestyle on Impulsive, Compulsive, and Externalizing behaviours)

Teaser

While medical research has identified the clearly beneficial effects of diet on multiple aspects of health (e.g. cardiovascular or metabolic health) we tend to dismiss the effects that simple substances (found in food) such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and sugars determine...

Summary

While medical research has identified the clearly beneficial effects of diet on multiple aspects of health (e.g. cardiovascular or metabolic health) we tend to dismiss the effects that simple substances (found in food) such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and sugars determine whether our brain cells fire or not, grow or not, form new connections or die. It only became obvious in retrospect: the sodium, potassium, magnesium and sugars referenced were the same nutrients as in diet books or on food labels. To put it simply, our brain is made of food we consume.
The aim of Eat2beNICE is three-fold, we aim (1) to identify nutrition and lifestyle drivers that can be employed to prevent detrimental impulsivity/ compulsivity in males and females across the lifespan, (2) to characterize the etiologic paths leading to extreme behaviour, and (3) to promote policy changes to counteract maladaptive impulsivity/compulsivity by disseminating evidence-based information about health-related behaviours to families, clinicians, policy makers, and general public.
The main problem Eat2beNICE is addressing is which food groups affects our behaviour, the way we cope with stressful life events, moods and thoughts but also what are the biological mechanisms involved in these processes. Eat2beNICE investigates how our genes, changes in the structure and function of our brain and the bacteria that live in gut (the microbiota), modify the effect food has in the way our brain works. Eat2beNICE also investigates how changes in our life style (e.g. exercise) interacts with dietary patterns and might even counteract negative effects of certain types of nutrition as mechanisms behind these phenomena, especially regarding mental health, are largely unknown.
Understanding how food affects our well-being goes beyond the simple understanding of what should I eat but necessitates clear and easy-to-use knowledge on why I should not eat it and how does it work for me. Eat2beNICE has developed a state-of-the-art education and dissemination strategy in order to educate patients, families, clinicians and the society in aiming to inform the public about the effects of nutrition has on their behaviour, mood and overall brain functioning. To do this Eat2beNICE is working towards a research-based list of recommendations aimed to policy makers for healthy brain nutrition.

Work performed

Eat2beNICE (i) integrates genetic, neurobiological, behavioural and nutritional data, available from big population registries, with clinical studies where specific dietary interventions are tested for whether these have an effect in (reducing) the symptomatology of different patient groups. For the former, we have been granted access to the world’s biggest population registries (UK biobank, LifeLines, Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, Swedish Twin Registry, German Study on the neurobiology of resilience with genetic, neurobiological, behavioural and nutritional data available). Moreover, we have access to two revolutionary studies on the effect of nutrition on brain and behaviour development in early life and childhood (BiBO & BiNGO studies). For the latter clinical studies, Eat2beNICE has successfully joined forces with the world’s renowned Predimed Clinical Study where we are investigating the role that the Mediterranean diet has on cognition and behaviour and with the TRACE study, a revolutionary study investigating the effects of the restriction elimination diet and the World Health Organization dietary guidelines as novel non-pharmacological intervention strategies for symptom reduction in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Moreover, Eat2beNICE successfully set-up two new clinical trials where the effects of probiotics and nutritional supplementation are being tested as valid treatment options for individuals with behavioural problems (e.g. impulsivity, compulsivity, aggression, ADHD, etc). For all clinical trials we are also collecting neurobiological data (genetics, MRI, faeces, blood). (ii) Eat2beNICE is investigating the effects of the gut-microbiome and its metabolites, as well as brain connectivity and (epi)genetic patterns as mediators and predictors of behavioural change. We are collecting and processing over, 3000 human blood samples (for immunological and human DNA analysis), 6000 faeces samples (for the identification of gut bacteria), 1000 functional and/or structural MRI scans across the different cohorts included in the consortium (but including all clinical trials). All preliminary “sanity” checks of the collection protocols and sample processing have been confirmed. Eat2beNICE is collecting information on the protective potential of acute exercise and habitual physical activity via the CoCA PROUD and CRC studies. We are monitoring intervention-induced changes in real time through objective mHealth- based experience sampling and correlating these findings with changes in behaviour and accounting for key neurobiological variables. (iii) Eat2beNICE begun a comprehensive education & dissemination program aimed to train new scientists and teach the public about the current status of the research on nutritional effects on the brain. We are also working on the translation of scientific results into hands-on nutritional options for the public. We secured the participation of celebrity chef Sebastian Lege who is designing food recipes based on the results of our studies. Eat2beNICE set up two comprehensive websites (eat2benice.eu and newbrainnutrition.com) where we communicate the progress of our research and interact with the public. We have a comprehensive list of 43 blogs, with two new ones coming in each week on the different research projects being carried out within the project. We have 3 content downloads available for visitors to increase opt-ins to the website. To date, the total audience profile is: 32% public members, 46% health professionals, 20% researchers, and 2% members of industry.

Final results

There are some important and urgent best practices that we need to get into people’s kitchens based on replicable science. The goal of Eat2beNICE is to facilitate just that. Our expected results include a series of nutritional recommendations for healthy brain and behaviour based on tested and replicable science. We will identify, for the first time, what are the nutritional drivers of a healthy brain for the population and if popular nutritional interventions such as probiotics, vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements have a beneficial effects for individuals afflicted with behavioural problems. Eat2beNICE will determine the feasibility and utility of diet as a non-pharmacological intervention strategy for common disorders such as ADHD and characterize the biological mechanisms through which nutrition affects the brain. Of particular importance is the characterization of the role the gut bacteria plays in this relationship. Gut bacteria is a key player in human health and is amenable to change by diet. Our work will allow us to identify bacterial metabolites involved in brain functioning opening new treatment avenues based on diet. Eat2beNICE will innovate the field by measuring behavioural change using social media downstream of educational campaigns and by translation of our findings into tangible healthy food solutions with a celebrity chef. Our group, in which experts from multiple disciplines join forces, is in a unique position to carry out the proposed project.

Website & more info

More info: http://eat2benice.eu/.