Study Links Western Diet to Autism, and More Research News

HEALTH

Study links Western diet to ADHD, autism

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark have identified an association between pregnant women who follow a Western diet and the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism in their offspring, according to a study published in Nature Metabolism.

“The greater a woman’s adherence to a Western diet in pregnancy—high in fat, sugar, and refined products while low in fish, vegetables, and fruit—the greater the risk appears to be for her child developing ADHD or autism,” said lead author David Horner, a physician and postdoctoral researcher with the university-affiliated Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, in an article on the University of Copenhagen website.

The investigators analyzed self-reported dietary patterns, blood samples, and ADHD and autism diagnoses across four large independent cohorts in Denmark and the United States, including more than 60,000 mother-child pairs. Blood samples were analyzed using metabolomics, to shed insight into the biological mechanisms linking diet to neurodevelopmental disorders and serving as a validation method for the results.

The researchers found that slight deviations toward a more Western diet were associated with a 66% increased risk of ADHD and a 122% increased risk of autism. However, the authors observe, this also means that even small dietary changes away from a Western pattern could potentially reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Could fermented stevia kill cancer cells?

A research team at Hiroshima University in Japan has concluded that fermented stevia can potentially kill pancreatic cancer cells without harming kidney cells. Published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the study recounts how the researchers fermented stevia leaf extract with plant-derived Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T strain (FSLE) and compared its effects on pancreatic cancer (PANC-1) cells in the lab, alongside noncancerous human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293), to the effects of non-fermented stevia extract. The cells used in these experiments were acquired from established commercial cell lines.

“Our findings indicate that FSLE demonstrates significantly greater cytotoxicity than the non-fermented extract at equivalent concentrations, suggesting that the fermentation process enhances the bioactivity of the extract,” said Masanori Sugiyama, a professor in Hiroshima University’s Department of Probiotic Science for Preventive Medicine.

“The present study has substantially enhanced our understanding of the mechanism of action of the Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T strain in the fermentation of herbal extracts, while also offering a valuable research perspective on the potential application of probiotics as natural anti-tumor agents,” said Narandalai Danshiitsoodol, an associate professor in Hiroshima University’s Department of Probiotic Science for Preventive Medicine, in an article on the university’s website.

FOOD WASTE

Melatonin may extend shelf life

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Singapore–MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) have demonstrated that by injecting harvested plants with melatonin using biodegradable microneedles, they can extend their shelf life. Published in the American Chemical Society publication Nano Letters, the study is significant, according to the authors, because of the technology’s potential to help reduce food waste. “Postharvest management of leafy vegetables requires refrigeration to control their rapid deterioration and loss, which accounts for [approximately] 30% of total food waste,” they wrote.

“This is the first time that we’ve been able to apply these microneedles to extend the shelf life of a fresh-cut crop,” said the study’s senior author, Benedetto Marelli, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at MIT, in an article on the university’s website. “We thought we could use this technology to deliver something that could regulate or control the plant’s postharvest physiology. Eventually, we looked at hormones, and melatonin is already used by plants to regulate such functions.”

As the Nano Letters piece explains, the investigators used silk microneedles with a length of 700 μm to deliver physiological doses of melatonin (approximately 22 μg) to the leafy vegetable pak choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) and successfully extended the shelf life of the harvested crop by four days at room temperature (25°C) and 10 days under refrigeration (4°C), compared to untreated control plants.

The authors believe that this process could offer an alternative or complement to refrigeration. Postharvest food waste is a major issue, particularly in emerging markets such as those in Africa and Southeast Asia.

DIET & NUTRITION

Is alcohol tolerance linked to chimp diets?

A study published earlier this year in BioScience suggests that apes’ penchant for gathering fallen fermented fruit from the forest floor may have triggered an amino acid change that increased humans’ ability to metabolize alcohol by approximately 40 times.

Since chimpanzees consume approximately 10 pounds of fruit each day, the researchers from Dartmouth College and the University of St. Andrews concluded that these primates ingest a significant amount of alcohol. That level of intake suggests that chronic low-level exposure to ethanol may be a significant component of chimpanzee life, as well as a major force in human evolution.

Evaluating European entomophagy via e-commerce

Insects have long been touted as a good, environmentally sustainable source of protein, but they have yet to become a staple in Western diets. Nevertheless, entomophagy (human consumption of insects) is growing in Europe. In this study, published in Foods, researchers in Italy analyzed the European e-commerce market for insect-based foods, assessing the origin and species of the insects sold online, the types of food products they were part of, and their nutritional value.

The investigators found 523 insect-based products from 53 producers. The United Kingdom had the most producers, followed by France, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland. The authors note that 182 products were based on the yellow mealworm. Other insects identified in various combinations in the food products included (but are not limited to) house crickets, grasshoppers, silkworms, superworms, bamboo worms, caterpillars, termites, ants, giant wasps, and giant water bugs. The insect-based formulations included chocolate candy, cookies, pasta products, cereals, snacks, bars, protein powders, and alcoholic beverages, among other products.

AGRICULTURE

Leveraging AI to bolster plant immunity

Using artificial intelligence (AI), researchers at the University of California, Davis, are helping crops such as potatoes and tomatoes recognize a wider range of harmful bacteria, according to a study published recently in Nature Plants. To defend themselves against dangerous microorganisms, plants have immune receptors, including one known as FLS2, which helps plants recognize flagellin—a protein in the tiny tails that bacteria use to swim, explains an article on the UC Davis website. However, bacteria are continually evolving to avoid detection by changing the underlying amino acids in flagellin.

Lead investigator Gitta Coaker, a UC Davis professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, and her research team used the AI tool AlphaFold to predict the 3D shape of proteins and then reengineered FLS2 to strengthen crop immune systems. “The team focused on receptors already known to recognize more bacteria, even if they weren’t found in useful crop species,” the UC Davis article states. “By comparing them with more narrowly focused receptors, the researchers were able to identify which amino acids to change.”

Ralstonia solanacearum, the cause of bacterial wilt, was one of the researchers’ targets. Some strains of this pathogen can infect more than 200 plant species, including staple crops such as tomatoes and potatoes.

FLAVORS

In the film Silence of the Lambs, the character Hannibal Lecter boasted, “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”

However, most people do not enjoy the flavor of fava beans, primarily due to their bitterness and a drying sensation in the mouth, according to a Finnish study of 264 consumers. Published in a University of Helsinki doctoral dissertation by Fabio Tuccillo, the study examines fava bean flavor chemistry, nutritional comparisons to other plant-based proteins, and sensory attributes that drive consumer like-versus-dislike reactions.

Fava beans are high in protein content, with dried fava beans in particular containing even more protein than red meat, according to the author. Fava beans can also be used in a wide range of food products. Tuccillo emphasizes the need for more research on how to improve fava bean taste and texture.ft