Children's propensity to consume sugar and fat predicts regular alcohol consumption in adolescence

Associated and intermediate factors between genetic variants of the dopaminergic D2 receptor gene and harmful alcohol use in young adults

Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) and ankyrin repeat and kinase domain-containing protein 1 (ANKK1) genes have received considerable attention for their involvement in alcohol use disorder (AUD), but many questions remain on their exact role. We conducted a population-based case-control and genetic association study in a large sample of young adults. Our aim was to assess the association between DRD2 and ANKK1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and harmful alcohol use, disentangling associated and possible intermediate factors. A total of 1841 college students from the French region Champagne-Ardennes, aged between 18 and 21 years and who reported at least one lifetime alcohol consumption, were included in this study. Allele frequencies were analysed according to harmful alcohol use (assessed through the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test [AUDIT] questionnaire). Different substance use disorders, including nicotine and cannabis dependences, were also assessed through questionnaires, as was a list of potential associated factors (e.g., major depressive episode, conduct disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], school failure, sugar consumption, sexual trauma, parents' use of alcohol, tobacco or cannabis). We found that DRD2 rs1800498 was associated with harmful alcohol use. Many factors were detected, but a global path analysis revealed that DRD2 rs1800498 had a significant direct effect on harmful alcohol use and that early age at first alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms moderated this effect. This study suggests an interplay between harmful alcohol use, DRD2 genotypes and other risk factors that, with a full understanding, could be useful for preventive purposes.

Reliability and Validity of the Emotional Eater Questionnaire in Romanian Adults

Negative emotions and chronic stress trigger abnormal compensatory behaviors known as emotional eating (EE). EE is a well-known mediator for increased body mass index and weight gain. Our aim was to analyze the factor structure and validity and reliability of the Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ) in a sample of 200 Romanian adults with excess weight. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess the construct validity. The mindful eating questionnaire (MEQ) was used to test concurrent validity. Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman correlations were used to analyze internal and external reliability. The socio-demographic characteristics were used as factors for convergent validity. PCA revealed the existence of three major factors, disinhibition, type of food, and guilt, which accounted for 64.9% of the variance. Concurrent validity showed medium to large associations with MEQ (r = 0.650; p < 0.001) and a large association with the emotional subscale of MEQ (r = 0.732; p < 0.001). Reliability was adequate with Cronbach’s alfa = 0.841 and ICC = 0.775. In a multivariate model, the highest contribution to the EE score was the age (beta = −0.327), followed by feminine gender (beta = 0.321), high levels of perceived stress (beta = 0.215), BMI (beta = 0.184) and lower perceived health status (beta = 0.184). The Romanian version of the EEQ is a reliable and valid tool for measuring emotional eating in adults with excess weight.

Are dietary patterns in early childhood associated with alcohol consumption at the age of 17 years? Analysis of data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between a posteriori dietary patterns in early childhood and alcohol consumption in adolescence.

DESIGN

Data were obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) prospective cohort study. Dietary information was obtained using FFQ at the age of 3 and 7 years. The association between dietary patterns, derived using principal components analysis and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores (to assess harmful intake) and frequency of alcohol consumption at the age of 17 years were examined. Secondary analysis considered sugar intake as a percentage of total energy intake.

SETTING

Women who gave birth between 1 April 1991 and 31 December 1992 in the Avon area in southwest England were eligible for the ALSPAC cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

Totally, 14 541 pregnancies were enrolled in ALSPAC during its initial recruitment phase. For this analysis, complete data were available for between 3148 and 3520 participants.

RESULTS

Adherence to the 'healthy' dietary pattern at both 3 and 7 years of age was positively associated with consuming more than one alcoholic drink per week at 17 years of age, whilst adherence to the 'traditional' dietary pattern at both ages was protective of harmful alcohol intake at 17 years of age. Sugar intake was not associated with either alcohol outcome after adjustment for ethnicity, maternal level of education, parental social class and maternal AUDIT score.

CONCLUSIONS

For the population studied, changes to diet in early childhood are unlikely to have an impact on harmful alcohol use in adolescence given the lack of consistency across the results.

Patterned Feeding of a Hyper-Palatable Food (Oreo Cookies) Reduces Alcohol Drinking in Rats

While a bidirectional positive link between palatable food intake and alcohol drinking has been suggested, several rodents studies report reduced alcohol drinking following palatable diets exposure. These studies utilized purified rodents’ diets high in sugar/fat; however, the effects of hyper-palatable food (HPF) rich in fat and sugar on alcohol drinking remain unclear. Furthermore, neural substrates involved in HPF-mediated changes in alcohol consumption are poorly understood. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effects of patterned feeding of a hyper-palatable food (Oreo cookies) on alcohol drinking as well as dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) content in rat’s mesocorticolimbic (medial-prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens) circuitry. Male Long Evans rats received 8-weeks of intermittent (Mon, Tue, Wed) Oreo cookies access, which induced a patterned feeding, in which rats in the Oreo group overconsumed calories on HPF days whereas underconsumption was observed on chow only (Thu, Fri) days. Following HPF exposure, alcohol consumption was evaluated while patterned feeding continued. Alcohol intake in the Oreo group was significantly lower as compared to the chow controls. However, alcohol intake in the Oreo group increased to the levels seen in the group receiving chow following the suspension of patterned HPF feeding. Finally, DA levels in the nucleus accumbens were significantly greater, whereas its metabolite (DOPAC) levels were lower in the Oreo group compared to the chow controls. Surprisingly, 5-HT levels remained unaltered in all tested brain areas. Together, these data suggest that HPF-associated increased DA availability and reduced DA turnover within mesocorticolimbic circuitry may regulate alcohol drinking following patterned HPF feeding.

Associations of Binge Drinking and Heavy Alcohol Use on Sugar and Fat Intake in a Cohort of Southern People Living with HIV

AIMS

To assess whether binge drinking and heavy alcohol use are associated with increased sugar and fat consumption among a Southern cohort of people living with HIV (PWH).

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional analysis of PWH enrolled in the New Orleans Alcohol use in HIV (NOAH) Study (n = 215). Binge and heavy drinking were identified through a 30-day Alcohol Timeline-Followback and dietary intake was assessed through a 24-hour dietary recall.

RESULTS

Participants were 65.4% male, 83.3% Black, with a mean age of 49.2 ± 9.9. Heavy drinkers consumed more total calories than abstainers (P = 0.035) and low-to-moderate drinkers (P = 0.024), and binge drinkers consumed more calories than non-binge drinkers (P = 0.025). Binge and heavy drinkers had significantly higher intake of total and saturated fat in grams. However, substantially increased caloric intake among these participants led to non-significant associations for alcohol use with high total and saturated fat intake as a percent of total energy intake (%TEI). Binge drinkers had lower odds of consuming high sugar as a %TEI (odds ratio: 0.31 [0.14, 0.68]). Additionally, sugar intake predicted total and saturated fat intake, and this association was slightly higher among binge drinkers (total fat P-value: 0.12).

CONCLUSIONS

In this population of PWH, while binge and heavy drinking predicted higher caloric and fat intake in grams, binge drinkers were less likely to consume a high-sugar diet. This analysis suggests that interventions focused on reduced alcohol use may be especially beneficial in reducing metabolic disease burden in PWH if supplemented with information on incorporating lower energy-dense foods with reduced fat.