Esben Strodl

Great catching up with colleagues from the International Academy of Body Image, Eating Problems and Health (www.uqac.ca/abeh/) at Quebec City to plan our study examining the link between perceptions of climate change and body image/eating behaviours across 14 countries.

Well done Sabine Lehane on a great conference presentation showing our findings that psychotherapy outcomes improve as the age of the therapist increases above the age of the client, and for female clients the rate of early dropout decreases as male therapist age increases.

My PhD student Shuang Liang showed that while adults with Binge Eating Disorder and depression have higher micronutrient intake than depressed controls, those with BED (but not the control group) showed a negative correlation between perceived stress and the consumption of certain micronutrients.

Our recent study suggests that iron supplementation in pregnant mothers may reduce the risk of preschool aged obesity in boys born macrosomia.

www.frontiersin.org/journals/ped...

Dietetic‐Led Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID: A Novel Approach to Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder With Case Studies Background Cognitive-behavioral therapy for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (CBT-AR) is an emerging treatment for adults with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). This articl...

Congratulation to Copeland on her first publication from her PhD.We are working busily on her other manuscripts so hopefully there will be a few more publications related to treating ARFID coming soon.

#ARFIDawareness #eatingdisorderresearch #EatingDisorders

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Our new study found that environmental tobacco smoke exposure during early life, particularly prenatally and in infancy, increases the risk of ADHD-like behaviours in a large sample of Chinese preschoolers.

www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13...

Our recently published study indicates that young children who consume probiotics - and in particular Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis R0033, Bifidobacterium bifidum R0071,
and Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 - had a lower risk of being overweight.

www.frontiersin.org/journals/nut...

Our new publication shows that while prenatal multivitamin supplementation has a protective effect against neurodevelopmental delay in preschool children, early childhood probiotic intake is associated with an enhancement of this protective effect. #probiotics

www.frontiersin.org/journals/nut...

Our new study indicates that prenatal multivitamin supplementation may help reduce the risk of neurobehavioral developmental disorders.

www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12...

Coming up in Brisbane this July - "Using an enhanced metacognitive model… | AACBT(Ltd) Coming up in Brisbane this July - "Using an enhanced metacognitive model to be an integrative CBT-er" by Assoc Prof Esben Strodl. Have you ever wondered about how to integrate different psy...

www.linkedin.com/posts/aacbt-...

Persister Intestinal Bacteria, Epigenetics and Major Depression The microbiota-gut-brain axis has been proposed as a potential modulator of mood disorders such as major depression. Complex bidirectional biochemical activities in this axis have been posited to part...

Our latest thoughts on the possible role of persister bacteria in the link between the gut microbiome and depression.

www.imrpress.com/journal/FBL/...

Epigenetic signatures of intergenerational exposure to violence in three generations of Syrian refugees - Scientific Reports Maternal trauma influences infant and adult health outcomes and may impact future generations through epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation (DNAm). Research in humans on the intergenerational epigenetic transmission of trauma effects is limited. In this study, we assessed DNAm signatures of war-related violence by comparing germline, prenatal, and direct exposures to violence across three generations of Syrian refugees. We compared families in which a pregnant grandmother versus a pregnant mother was exposed to violence and included a control group with no exposure to war. We collected buccal swab samples and survey data from mothers and 1–2 children in each of 48 families (n = 131 participants). Based on an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS), we identified differentially methylated regions (DMPs): 14 were associated with germline and 21 with direct exposure to violence. Most DMPs showed the same directionality in DNAm change across germline, prenatal, and direct exposures, suggesting a common epigenetic response to violence. Additionally, we identified epigenetic age acceleration in association with prenatal exposure to violence in children, highlighting the critical period of in utero development. This is the first report of an intergenerational epigenetic signature of violence, which has important implications for understanding the inheritance of trauma.

A study in Scientific Reports supports the theory of the intergenerational epigenetic transmission of violence trauma in humans by identifying novel DNA methylation sites and evidence for epigenetic age acceleration. These results indicate important directions for future research. 🧪

Impact of Breastfeeding Practices on Autistic Traits in Chinese Children Aged from 3 to 4 Years: Cross-Sectional Study Background: Although breastfeeding has been extensively documented to confer health benefits to infants in the early stages of their lives, the sustained influence that it has on autistic traits throu...

Our recent study shows that exclusive breastfeeding for a period from 2 to 6 months, coupled with extended breastfeeding lasting for at least 8 months, is protective against autistic traits in young children. #autism #breastfeeding #autisticsky

doi.org/10.3390/nu17...

You know you are getting old when a new honours student asks you to supervise her honours thesis because you supervised her mother’s masters thesis 20 odd years ago.

New MRI study reveals altered brain activity in depressed adolescents while watching 'Despicable Me' The brains of adolescents with depression process information about how others are feeling in a way that is different to those without depression.

How does #depression alter the brain?

New research has that, when given external stimuli, depressed brains process information about how others are feeling in a way that is different to those without depression.

Click the link to learn more 👇

#IoPPNNews

www.kcl.ac.uk/news/mri-des...

Congratulations to Shuang Liang who passed her PhD articulation presentation today allowing her to transfer from an MPhil to a PhD. Shuang’s research looks at the relationships between dietary intake, blood micronutrient levels and eating disorder psychopathology.

Multidisciplinary Treatment of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder | Psychiatric Annals Given that research into the treatment of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is in its early phases, there is a paucity of evidence-based guidelines directing best practices. However, t...

Some of our clinic’s current thoughts on interprofessiomal practice with individuals with ARFID

journals.healio.com/doi/abs/10.3...

Just had a great Zoom meeting with the other collaborators from the International Academy of Body Image, Eating Problems and Health. We will soon be implementing the largest ever cross country survey examining the relationships between perceptions of climate change and body image/disordered eating.

Our case study is proof of concept for our meta-emotion therapy as a treatment for binge eating disorder wit comorbid complex PTSD.

psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

Independent and Joint Effects of Prenatal Incense-Burning Smoke Exposure and Children’s Early Outdoor Activity on Preschoolers’ Obesity Incense burning is a significant source of indoor air pollution in many Asian regions. There is emerging evidence that maternal prenatal exposure to incense-burning smoke may be a risk factor for chil...

Our study indicates that maternal exposure to incense-burning smoke during pregnancy and early lower postanal outdoor activity may independently and jointly increase the risk of obesity among preschoolers.

doi.org/10.3390/toxi...

Faith in God as a protective factor against mental illness among university students within Australia This study tested the hypothesis that the relationship between faith in God and poor mental health (depression, stress, and anxiety), in higher education students, is mediated by the constructs of ...

Hope, meaning of life and resilience help explain why university students with higher faith in God have lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Frontiers | Combination effects of environmental tobacco smoke exposure and nutrients supplement during pregnancy on obesity in Chinese preschool children ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the combination effects of prenatal exposure to environment tobacco smoke (ETS) and nutrients supplement during pregnanc...

Our study indicates that a combination of prenatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and not taking vitamin supplementation is a risk factor for early childhood obesity.

www.frontiersin.org/journals/ped...

Targeting Beliefs About Emotions via Meta-Emotion Therapy for Adolescents with Anxiety: A Case Series Study - Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy Research suggests that best-practice psychotherapies only have moderate effects on reducing anxiety in youths. Such limitations in outcomes prompt consideration of alternative conceptualisations of an...

Our proof of concept that helping anxious teenagers change their beliefs about emotions can improve their mental health.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Diagnosing clinical obesity The current approach for diagnosing obesity – one defined solely by an individual’s body mass index – is inadequate.

The limitations of using BMI to diagnose obesity have been discussed for a long time. Nice to see some sensible considerations for diagnosing clinical obesity www.thelancet.com/infographics...

Probiotics and magnesium orotate for the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomised double blind controlled trial - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Probiotics and magnesium orotate for the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomised double blind controlled trial

Our newly published RCT shows that probiotics plus magnesium orotate can significantly reduce depressive symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Congratulations to my PhD student, Alimila Hayixibayi for graduating with a PhD yesterday. Mila’s thesis identified family and school predictors of problematic internet use in Chinese high school students.