This study aimed to investigate 1) the longitudinal associations between food patterns and body weight in young adulthood, and 2) how food patterns of young adults relate to food consumption in early, middle and late childhood. The study sample includes 700 participants of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. During childhood, frequency of consumption of various foods was reported on ten occasions between 1.5 and 13 years. At age 22 years, food frequency questions (with quantities) were used to derive four food patterns (labeled healthy, beverage-rich, protein-rich, and high-energy-density) through exploratory factor analysis. Self-reported height and weight were collected at 22 and 23 years. Regression analyses were performed to assess associations between 1) food patterns and weight outcomes a year later (BMI, BMI change, and overweight status); 2) frequency of consumption of eight food groups in childhood and food patterns in adulthood. Dietary habits characterised by the consumption of vegetables, fruit, plant-based sources of protein and whole-grain cereal products were related to a lower risk of obesity a year later. Conversely, dietary habits characterised by a high consumption of energy-dense foods, of animal sources of proteins and, among women, of high quantities of liquids were associated with higher risk of excess weight a year later. Healthier food choices in childhood were associated with healthier food patterns in young adulthood. These findings reinforce the value of preventive dietary interventions in the early years to foster eating environments that favour healthy eating and healthy weights in adulthood.

This study has investigated the relationship between the gut microbiota compotision and the growth performance in pigs from birth to the finishing stage, focusing on nutrient metabolism. Of 59 crossbred pigs [(Landrace × Large Yorkshire) × Duroc] from seven sows, individuals with high and low daily gain (DG) were assigned to high DG (HDG, n = 11) and low DG (LDG, n = 8) groups. Fecal samples collected at weaning (21 days), growing (95–106 days) and finishing (136–152 days) stages were analyzed for amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, and microbial composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. Although birth and weaning weights were similar in both groups, the HDG group had significantly higher weights in the growing and finishing stages (P < 0.01). The microbial composition of the LDG group revealed a higher abundance of f_Lachnospiraceae;__ at weaning (P < 0.05), whereas the HDG group contained higher abundance of g_Streptococcus and g_Prevotella 7 at the finishing stage (P < 0.05). Functional analysis revealed increased amino acid metabolism in the HDG group at the finishing stage (P < 0.05). During the growing stage, total free fecal amino acid content was low in the HDG group (P < 0.05); at weaning, levels of isobutyric and isovaleric acids, key amino acid fermentation products (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), were higher. These findings indicate growth stage-specific differences in the gut microbiota and metabolic profiles between groups with different growth performance, suggesting microbial and metabolic characteristics may influence growth performance.

This study systematically evaluates the effects of probiotic interventions on gut microbiota and clinical outcomes in diabetic patients to determine the optimal target population and conditions for effective use, with an emphasis on precision treatment. A comprehensive search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), and Wanfang databases until April 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing probiotics as adjunctive therapy for diabetes were included. The control group received standard care, and the intervention group received probiotics alongside standard care. Data were managed with Endnote and Excel, and analyses were conducted using Revman 5.3 and Stata 16. Twelve RCTs involving 1,113 participants were included. Probiotics significantly increased fecal Lactobacillus (standardized mean difference (SMD) 1.42, P < 0.0001, I2 = 95%) and Bifidobacterium levels (SMD 1.27, P < 0.0001, I² = 90%) and reduced fasting plasma glucose (SMD -0.35, P = 0.004). Subgroup analysis showed that shorter intervention durations (≤3 months) improved FPG, HbA1c, and Bifidobacterium levels, while younger patients (≤60 years) experienced the most significant improvements in Bifidobacterium levels. In conclusion, probiotics improve gut microbiota and clinical outcomes in diabetic patients, with intervention duration and patient age as key factors influencing treatment effectiveness.

The effect of the Japanese diet on cancer incidence remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the Japanese diet and the risk of all-cause and site-specific cancer. We analysed 14-year follow-up data from the Osaki Cohort study of 25,570 Japanese men and women aged 40–79 years. The Japanese diet was evaluated using a 39-item food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Based on a previous study, we used eight food items to calculate the Japanese Diet Index (JDI) score: rice, miso soup, seaweed, pickles, green and yellow vegetables, seafood, green tea, and beef and pork. The participants were divided into quartiles based on their JDI scores. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of cancer incidence. During the mean 10.4 years of follow-up, we identified 3,161 incident cases of all-cause cancer. Multivariable analysis showed that the JDI score was not associated with cancer incidence. In comparison to Q1 (the lowest), the multivariable HRs and 95%CIs were 1.01 (0.92–1.12) for Q2, 0.94 (0.85–1.04) for Q3, and 1.06 (0.95-1.18) for Q4 (the highest). Furthermore, separate analyses of nine common cancer sites demonstrated no association with the JDI score. The results were consistent even after a sensitivity analysis using multiple imputation. This prospective study showed that the Japanese diet was not associated with cancer incidence. The results suggests that the Japanese diet could contribute to a person’s overall health and well-being without increasing cancer risk.

Beliefs in evil spirits and the practice of deliverance from supernatural forces have been widespread throughout history. Many psychological and physical afflictions have been attributed to involuntary demonic possession. Traditional remedies, for those reporting inhabitation by evil spirits, can involve exorcism believed to expel such forces. Similar beliefs may be symptomatic of major mental illness and treatments namely medication and psychotherapy, are frequently recommended. An increasingly secular western world is also seeing growth in non-denominational Christian churches and other faiths, who accept spirit possession and exorcism. Culturally competent mental health professionals, seeking to understand their patients’ world view, may struggle with exorcism, seeing it as an interference to conventional treatment. They may be being unwilling thus to attempt differentiation between possession and mental illness. This paper explores the diversity of views on this topic and points of contention and overlap. The risks and cautions necessary in approaching this issue are stressed.

Substance use disorders and addictions are mental disorders deeply interconnected with other psychiatric conditions – and this connection is of fundamental importance. Although addictions are formally recognized as mental health disorders, they are often not addressed as such in research or clinical practice. Psychiatric research, clinical care, and treatment development remain largely organized along traditional diagnostic boundaries. While diagnostic classifications provide structure and clinical utility, it is increasingly evident that psychiatric diagnoses are neither fully separable nor independent entities. Despite extensive discussion on comorbidity, addictions are frequently excluded from broader conceptualizations of the intertwined nature of mental disorders. Yet, they share substantial commonalities with other psychiatric conditions across clinical presentation, psychopathology, genetic vulnerability, neurobiological mechanisms, socioenvironmental risk factors, and treatment strategies. Maintaining a conceptual divide between addictions and other psychiatric disorders reinforces diagnostic “tunnel vision,” constraining our understanding of neuropsychopathology and contributing to persistent gaps in care and treatment accessibility. This narrative review examines the overlapping risk factors, clinical features, and therapeutic approaches that link addictions with other mental disorders. We argue that advancing psychiatric research and nosology requires a deliberate acknowledgement of these transdiagnostic overlaps and shared mechanisms. The challenge is particularly evident in the understanding and treatment of dual disorders. Progress will depend on integrative, collaborative frameworks that bridge scientific and clinical perspectives and foster dynamic feedback between empirical research and clinical practice. Recognizing mental disorders as interdependent systems may offer a more coherent and effective foundation for understanding and treatment.

Due to the high prevalence of depression among young adults, identifying prevention strategies during young adulthood are crucial. Dietary polyphenols have been associated with depression in older cohorts; however, the association remains unclear, particularly in young adults. This study aimed to assess the prospective association between the intake of total polyphenols, polyphenol classes, and polyphenol subclasses with depressive symptoms in young adults. Data from 1,484 Raine Study Generation 2 participants [52.7% female; baseline mean age (SD): 20 (0.5)] at the -20, -22, and -27 year follow-ups (N = 964, 979, and 1,094, respectively), with overlap across follow-ups, were used. Energy-adjusted polyphenol intake was estimated from food frequency questionnaire data using our expansion of the AUSNUT 2011-13 and Phenol-Explorer to include polyphenol content data and categorised into quartiles. The primary outcome was self-reported depressive symptoms assessed via the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale averaged across the three timepoints. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the association between the polyphenol intake exposures and depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle- and health-related behaviours were adjusted for. Participants in the highest quartiles for flavonol and hydroxybenzoic acid intake had lower depressive symptoms across time than participants in the lowest quartiles [flavonols (Q4 v Q1 mean difference: -1.41, 95%CIs: -2.51, -0.31); hydroxybenzoic acids (Q4 v Q1: -1.42, 95%CIs: -2.54, -0.29)]. We found no evidence of a highest versus lowest association for all other polyphenol categories. Future studies are required to investigate whether increasing polyphenol intake could protect against depression in young adults.

Total energy expenditure (TEE) is estimated as the product of basal metabolic rate (BMR) and an SCI-specific factor. The agreement between TEE and total energy intake (TEI) was just established. The findings suggested the existence of positive and negative energy balance distributions. Forty-two males with chronic SCI underwent BMR followed by detailed metabolic profile after overnight fast. TEI and macronutrients of 3-day dietary logs were analyzed using the Nutrition Data System for Research software. Energy surplus was calculated as TEE minus TEI. Body composition assessment was conducted using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. 57% of SCI participants were classified as negative energy surplus with an average TEI of 1284±422 compared to 2197±553 kcal/day in the positive energy group (P = 0.0002). Negative energy group had a higher BMR (9%; P =0.02), greater body weight (P =0.03), greater total body lean mass (P= 0.03) and consume greater percentage of protein compared to the positive energy group. Percentage macronutrients of protein explained 27% of the variance of energy surplus in a multivariate regression model (r2 =0.27; P = 0.008). TEI adjusted to fat-free mass explained 87% of the variance in energy surplus and 34.7 kcal/kg/day was recommended to balance TEI with TEE. Persons with SCI are either classified into negative or positive energy surplus groups. Larger body weight and greater protein intakes are among the major characteristics of the negative energy group. Clinicians may need to consider the spectrum of energy balance before starting dietary regimen after SCI.