Dr Wolfgang Marx

Are you a student, early-career or mid-career researcher who led a publication in Nutritional Psychiatry this year?

Applications are now open for the ISNPR Outstanding Publication Award for articles published January – June this year.

Registration is opening soon for our Conference.

This year's theme is Precision Nutrition for Mental Wellness: Integrating Mind-Body Connections.

Along with an incredible line up of presentations, posters and symposia we are delighted to announce our 4 keynote speakers.

Important Announcement‼️ Abstract Submission Deadline for ISNPR 2025 Extended‼️

🌟 The new deadline for abstract submissions is April 30, 2025 (Wednesday) at 23:59 (GMT+8).

isnprconf.com/2025

Ketogenic diet attenuates neuroinflammation and restores hippocampal neurogenesis to improve CUMS induced depression-like behavior in mice The ketogenic diet (KD) has been proposed as a potential treatment for depression. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate further the effects of KD o...

Interesting new study on ketogenic diet for depression-like symptoms in mice 🧠🐭

📉 KD reduced depressive behaviors
🔥 Lower inflammation (↓ IL-1β, TNF-α, COX-2)
🌱 Boosted hippocampal neurogenesis & BDNF signaling

🔗 Read more: doi.org/10.1039/D5FO...

Interesting new RCT on gluten-free diet in people with schizophrenia with anti-gliadin antibodies

📌 5-week RCT
📉 GFD > gluten diet for motivation/pleasure (p=0.045)
🧠 No effect on cognition or expressive symptoms
💡 More research needed on mechanisms & long-term impact

🔗 Read more: buff.ly/5vo0LpI

The effects of L-theanine consumption on sleep outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of L-theanine, a non-proteinogenic amino acid found in tea, on sleep outcomes. …

New from Amanda Bulman, Andrew McKune, @nmdcunha.bsky.social @drwolfmarx.bsky.social Murray Turner. New manuscript published in Sleep Medicine Reviews (IF11); The effects of #L-Theanine consumption on #sleep outcomes: #systematic review and #meta-analysis.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New to behavioural mental health trials and unsure how to assess and monitor harms?

With MAGNET Clinical Trial Network, we have developed a “How To” guide with step by step recommendations & tips. We hope you find it helpful!

#behaviouralscience #behavioralmedicine

doi.org/10.1177/0004...

Residential greenness & suicide risk in depression 🌿🧠

📊 Data: n=677,498, 8-year follow-up.

🩺 More residential greenness linked to:
- Lower suicide attempts (HR 0.789)
- Higher impact in males, ages 35-64, & low-income groups

🔗 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121099

🆕 Pan-European study on ultra-processed food and mortality

📊 Data: 428,728 participants, 15.9 years, 40,016 deaths.

🩺 Higher UPF intake linked to:

- All-cause mortality (HR 1.04)
- Circulatory diseases (HR 1.09)
- Digestive diseases (HR 1.12)
- Parkinson’s (HR 1.23)

🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.la...

New prospective study on polyphenols & mortality risk in a SUN cohort:

📊 12.7 years, 18,173 participants

🍒 Low intake ⬆️ all-cause mortality risk by 32% and cancer mortality risk by 44%

🍫 Top poly sources were cherries, chocolate, apples, olives, coffee

🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s00394-025-03581-5

Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial - Nature Aging Applying epigenetic clocks to samples from the DO-HEALTH trial, Bischoff-Ferrari et al. report a small protective effect of omega-3 supplementation over 3 years on several clocks and an additive prote...

New study on vitamin D, omega-3, exercise & biological aging:

💊 Omega-3 slowed DNA methylation clocks

🏋️‍♀️ Combined omega-3, vitamin D, and exercise had additive benefits on PhenoAge

⏳ Protective effects over 3 years: 2.9-3.8 months slowed aging

🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s43587-024-00793-y

Prevalence of processed foods in major US grocery stores - Nature Food Information on the degree of processing of food items is key for better consumer choices. GroceryDB is a dataset with more than 50,000 food items sold at major grocery stores in the United States that...

Large resource for ultra-processed food research published in Nature Food

📊 Database of 50,000+ items shows degrees of processing.

🥫 Tracks ingredient patterns, food categories, price ranges, and ultra-processing contributors (1,000+ ingredients).

🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s430...

F. prausnitzii potentially modulates the association between citrus intake and depression - Microbiome Background The gut microbiome modulates the effects of diet on host health, but it remains unclear which specific foods and microbial features interact to influence risk of depression. To understand t...

New study on diet, gut microbiome, and depression:

🍊 Citrus intake associated with lower depression risk & enrichment of F. prausnitzii

🧬 Depression associated with lower F. prausnitzii & reduced SAM cycle activity, affecting serotonin/dopamine pathways

🔗doi.org/10.1186/s40168-024-01961-3

Coffee drinking timing and mortality:

☕ Morning coffee drinkers (36%) had lower all-cause (HR: 0.84) & cardiovascular (HR: 0.69) mortality risk vs non-drinkers.

⏰ Timing matters: Morning coffee intake linked to reduced mortality, unlike all-day coffee drinking.

🔗doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae871

New study on intestinal permeability in schizophrenia:

🧠 Elevated LBP (62%) & LPS (25.6%) found, highlighting potential gut involvement.

🥗 Mediterranean diet adherence correlated with reduced I-FABP, suggesting better gut barrier function.

🔗 doi.org/10.1192/j.eu...

Probiotic Formulation for Patients With Bipolar or Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder: A Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial AbstractBackground and Hypothesis. Probiotic augmentation offers a promising treatment for bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD).

A recent RCT explored probiotics in bipolar disorder & schizophrenia spectrum disorder

🧠 No significant impact on psychiatric symptoms, but borderline improvement in verbal memory.

🦠 Probiotics improved gut health markers & reduced indigestion in males.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbae188

Umbrella review on allergic diseases and mental health:

🌟 Convincing evidence links asthma to ADHD risk (OR 1.34)

🌟 Strong links for allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis with depression, anxiety, ASD & more

📊 21 reviews, 37 associations, 38M+ participants

🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2024.10.030

Huge thanks to the fantastic coauthors and the team at ISNPR who made this possible. We hope this helps pave the way for more rigorous, impactful research in #NutritionalPsychiatry. 🌟

Importantly, these guidelines aren’t just for researchers—they aim to shape clinical practice by ensuring trials generate actionable, clinically relevant findings. The ultimate goal? Better mental health outcomes through nutrition. 🩺🥦

We also call for more effectiveness & implementation research. Proving interventions work in tightly controlled trials is one thing, but can they succeed in real-world settings? Let’s find out! 🌍

Future directions:
- Broaden the scope: Explore under-researched interventions & conditions (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder).
- Study scalability: Delivery models that work in the real world matter.
- More work in prevention: What role can diet play in early intervention?🌱🛡️

Key themes:
- Multidisciplinary teams are critical. Expertise in nutrition, psychiatry, and research methodology is a must. 🤝
- Co-design is essential. Engaging stakeholders ensures trials are relevant & impactful. 🙌
- Prioritizing transparency & replicability efforts 🔍

The result: 49 recommendations for clinical trial design & outcomes, 5 for trial reporting, and 7 research priorities to guide the field forward.

Co-led by myself (as #ISNPR President) & Dr. Heidi Staudacher (hmstaudacher.bsky.social), this major effort involved 18 researchers using a Delphi process. Our goal? Create evidence-based, consensus-driven methodological & reporting recommendations for rigorous & impactful clinical trials. 📜💡

Nutritional psychiatry research is booming, with growing interest in nutraceutical & dietary interventions for mental health. But… methodological inconsistencies & limited reporting standards are holding back progress. That’s where these guidelines come in. 📊❌

Methodological and reporting recommendations for clinical trials in Nutritional Psychiatry: Guidelines from the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research - PubMed Research on nutraceutical and dietary interventions in psychiatry has grown substantially, but progress is hindered by methodological inconsistencies and limited reporting standards. To address this, ...

🚨 Exciting update from the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research (@isnpr.bsky.social)! We’ve published the first-ever guidelines for clinical trials in Nutritional Psychiatry. A 🧵 on what we did and what this means. 🧠🥗
🔗 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39654150/

Effectiveness of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Versus Placebo in Subjects at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis: The PURPOSE Randomized Clinical Trial AbstractBackground and Hypotheses. In the past 2 decades, substantial effort has been put into research on therapeutic options for people at ultra-high ris

Large RCT on omega-3 PUFAs in psychosis prevention:

🧠 In 135 youth at ultra-high risk, 6-month omega-3 showed no benefit in preventing psychosis or reducing symptoms vs. placebo.

🔄 Third study to fail replicating early findings—evidence suggests no protective effect.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/schb...

Man eating a bar of chocolate

Eating five servings of dark chocolate a week is associated with a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a US study.

Clinical trials are needed to confirm findings and identify reasons for dark chocolate’s protective effect, say authors
www.bmj.com/content/387/...

YouTube video by Imperial College London Ultra-processed food: the scope for Government action

A recording is now available for last week’s ultra-processed food meeting in London. My presentation of preliminary data from our ongoing RCT starts at 38 minutes: youtu.be/YdG24uCkvbE?...

New screening tool for nutrition risk in mental health:

🧠 NutriMental Screener finds risks in 94.7% of patients.

🍎 Preliminary feasibility and validity testing completed

🔍 10-item tool aims to streamline dietitian referrals.

🔗 doi.org/10.1017/S0007114524002101