Search

Objective:A high-fibre diet is associated with a lower risk for diseases. However, few adults meet the dietary fibre recommendation. Therefore, the effects and acceptance of an algorithm-generated personalised dietary advice (PDA) compared with general advice (GA) on fibre intake were investigated.Design:A 6-week, single-blind randomised controlled trial with a 3-month follow-up.Setting:PDA was based on habitual intake and provided fibre-rich alternatives using a website; GA contained brochures. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline, week 1, week 6 and 3-month follow-up. Both groups evaluated their advice at week 6. All participants had access to PDA from week 7 until 3-month follow-up.Participants:Two groups of healthy adults: PDA (n 34) and GA (n 47). For 3-month follow-up analysis, participants were re-divided into visitors (n 52) and non-visitors (n 26) of the PDA.Results:At week 6, energy intake remained stable in both groups, but fibre intake per 1000 kcal increased non-significantly in both groups (PDA = Δ0·5 ± 2·8; GA = Δ0·8 ± 3·1, P = 0·128). Importantly, a significantly higher percentage of PDA participants adhered to the recommendation compared with week 1 (PDA = 21 % increase; GA = 4 % increase, P ≤ 0·001). PDA participants evaluated the advice significantly better compared with GA participants. At 3-month follow-up, fibre intake increased compared with baseline (visitors = Δ2·2 ± 2·6, P < 0·001; non-visitors = Δ1·5 ± 1·9, P = 0·001), but was insignificantly different between groups. Visitors had a decrease and non-visitors had an increase in energy intake (visitors =Δ − 132 ± 525; non-visitors = Δ109 ± 507, P = 0·055).Conclusions:The algorithm-generated PDA was well accepted and stimulated adherence to the recommendations more than GA, indicating to be a suitable and cost-efficient method for improving dietary fibre intake in healthy adults.

Aims Harmful drinking patterns are shaped by a broad complex interaction of factors, societal and individual, psychological and behavioral. Although previous studies have focused on a few variables at a time, the current study simultaneously examines a large number of variables in order to create a comprehensive view (i.e. phenotype) of harmful drinking, and to rank the main predictors of harmful and non-harmful drinking by order of importance. Methods We surveyed a large sample of Dutch adults about their habitual drinking characteristics and attitudes, perceptions and motives for drinking. We fed 45 variables into a random forest machine learning model to identify predictors for (1) drinking within and in excess of Dutch guideline recommendations and (2) harmful and non-harmful drinking. Results In both models, respondents’ subjective perceptions of ‘responsible drinking’, both per occasion and per week, showed the strongest predictive potential for different drinking phenotypes. The next strongest factors were respondents’ reason for drinking, motives for drinking and age. Other variables, such as drinking location, knowledge about alcohol-related health risks and consumption of different beverage types, were not strong predictors of drinking phenotypes. Conclusions Although the direction of the relationship is unclear from the findings, they suggest that interventions and policy measures aimed at individuals and social norms around drinking may offer promise for reducing harmful drinking. Messaging and promotion of drinking guidelines should be tailored with this in mind.

BACKGROUND Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a lifestyle-related disease, which prevalence increases with age. Diabetes self-management through mobile health (mHealth) apps enables T2D patients to improve their health. Following the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), technology acceptance (i.e., intended use) is necessary to ensure mHealth can be implemented successfully. Therefore, the specific acceptance requirements of T2D patients should be considered. OBJECTIVE The aim of this cross-sectional study is to examine the extent to which different TAM predictors are associated with the acceptance of a diabetes app including an eCoach (Iris app) among T2D patients. METHODS Using a web-based survey, data of 92 T2D patients (M=62.76; SD=8.29), were collected. Acceptance of the Iris app with the TAM predictors (i.e., perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, perceived self-efficacy, perceived security, prior usage experience, perceived health, and propensity of data/information sharing) were assessed. Also, control variables (i.e., gender, age, education, ethnicity, household, body mass index (BMI), amount of years with diabetes, diabetes related complaints, and medication use) were assessed. RESULTS Multiple linear regression analyses showed that acceptance regarding the Iris app was positively associated with perceived usefulness (β= .52, P < .001), social influence (subjective norm) (β= .18, P = .02) and willingness to share data (β= .22, P = .002). In addition, acceptance regarding the Iris app was higher among T2D patients with overweight or obese BMI (β= .22, P = .01; β= .20, P = .02, respectively). The model explained 78.2% of the variance in T2D patients’ acceptance regarding the Iris app. Additionally, perceived usefulness regarding the Iris app was positively related to perceived ease of use (β= .32, P = .003), subjective norm (β= .26, P = .006), perceived control (β= .21, P = .03) and willingness to share data (β= .22, P = .01) regarding the Iris app, and perceived security regarding general use of apps/smartphone/internet (β= .24, P = .04). The model explained 59.9% of the variance in patients’ perceived usefulness regarding the Iris app. CONCLUSIONS Among T2D patients, the belief that the use of the Iris app is helpful/beneficial, the willingness to share their Iris app data, and others’ approval of using this app, can stimulate the acceptance of this app. In addition, the belief that the use of (health) apps is reliable and secure, the belief that the use of the Iris app is easy to use, a higher perceived capability and personal control with using this app, the willingness to share their Iris app data, and others’ approval of using this app, can stimulate the perceived usefulness of such an app. These TAM predictors explained a high variance in acceptance and perceived usefulness of the Iris app. Implications for practice are addressed.

Previous research on work-related motivation and work-related outcomes generally shows that autonomous forms of motivation are associated with higher performance and job satisfaction, whereas controlled forms of motivation are generally linked to worse outcomes. These relationships are largely based on between-persons data from cross-sectional studies or longitudinal studies with few measurement points. However, motivation quality, performance, and job satisfaction can vary considerably from day to day, both between and within individuals. The present study therefore combines between-persons and within-persons approaches to study the relationships between motivation, performance, and job satisfaction. Nineteen white-collar workers participated in the study. With a default protocol of 30 working days, an ecological momentary assessment app prompted participants five times a day to report their autonomous and controlled motivation for work tasks and their productivity and job satisfaction at the end of each day. Fourteen participants gathered sufficient data to compute within-person relations and individual networks. At the between person level, autonomous motivation was positively associated with productivity, whereas no association with job satisfaction was detected. No associations were detected between controlled motivation and productivity or job satisfaction. At group level within persons, (a) motivation during work tasks (autonomous or controlled) was not associated with self-reported productivity or job satisfaction at the end of that day, (b) self-reported productivity at the end of a day was negatively related to next day autonomous and controlled motivation, and (c) end of day job satisfaction was positively related to next day controlled motivation, but not autonomous motivation. Individual network analyses indicated considerable interindividual heterogeneity, especially in the relationships between motivation and job satisfaction. In conclusion, these findings point to significant variability in the observed relations between motivation, performance and job satisfaction, and highlight the added value of a within person approach and individual networks in addition to between-persons approaches. The implications of these findings for occupational wellbeing research are discussed.

Long-term alcohol abuse is associated with poorer cognitive performance. However, the associations between light and moderate drinking and cognitive performance are less clear. We assessed this association via cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in a sample of 702 Dutch students. At baseline, alcohol consumption was assessed using questionnaires and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) across four weeks (&lsquo, Wave 1&rsquo, ). Subsequently, cognitive performance, including memory, planning, and reasoning, was assessed at home using six standard cognition tests presented through an online platform. A year later, 436 students completed the four weeks of EMA and online cognitive testing (&lsquo, Wave 2&rsquo, ). In both waves, there was no association between alcohol consumption and cognitive performance. Further, alcohol consumption during Wave 1 was not related to cognitive performance at Wave 2. In addition, EMA-data-based drinking patterns, which varied widely between persons but were relatively consistent over time within persons, were also not associated with cognitive performance. Post-hoc analyses of cognitive performance revealed higher within-person variance scores (from Wave 1 to Wave 2) than between-person variance scores (both Wave 1 and Wave 2). In conclusion, no association was observed between alcohol consumption and cognitive performance in a large Dutch student sample. However, the online cognitive tests performed at home may not have been sensitive enough to pick up differences in cognitive performance associated with alcohol consumption.

Personalized nutrition is fast becoming a reality due to a number of technological, scientific, and societal developments that complement and extend current public health nutrition recommendations. Personalized nutrition tailors dietary recommendations to specific biological requirements on the basis of a person’s health status and goals. The biology underpinning these recommendations is complex, and thus any recommendations must account for multiple biological processes and subprocesses occurring in various tissues and must be formed with an appreciation for how these processes interact with dietary nutrients and environmental factors. Therefore, a systems biology–based approach that considers the most relevant interacting biological mechanisms is necessary to formulate the best recommendations to help people meet their wellness goals. Here, the concept of “systems flexibility” is introduced to personalized nutrition biology. Systems flexibility allows the real-time evaluation of metabolism and other processes that maintain homeostasis following an environmental challenge, thereby enabling the formulation of personalized recommendations. Examples in the area of macro- and micronutrients are reviewed. Genetic variations and performance goals are integrated into this systems approach to provide a strategy for a balanced evaluation and an introduction to personalized nutrition. Finally, modeling approaches that combine personalized diagnosis and nutritional intervention into practice are reviewed.

In May 2018, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA, Germany) hosted ‘Light and Health at Work’, a workshop concerning occupational health issues relating to non-visual effects of light of both indoor and shift workers. The agenda reflected a common interest in translational research linking laboratory findings with occupational and public health outcomes, and resulted in the founding of the European scientific network NoVEL (standing for Non-Visual Effects of Light). This article sets out the network participants’ shared goals to improve the scientific evidence about light’s non-visual effects, circadian disruption and wellbeing, using light exposure interventions with high quality assessment of light.

The aim of this explorative study is to evaluate whether personalized compared to generic lifestyle advice improves wellbeing in a senior population. We conducted a nine-week single-blind randomized controlled trial including 59 participants (age 67.7 ± 4.8 years) from Wageningen and its surrounding areas in the Netherlands. Three times during the intervention period, participants received either personalized advice (PA), or generic advice (GA) to improve lifestyle behavior. Personalization was based on metabolic health measures and dietary intake resulting in an advice that highlighted food groups and physical activity types for which behavior change was most urgent. Before and after the intervention period self-perceived health was evaluated as parameter of wellbeing using a self-perceived health score (single-item) and two questionnaires (Vita-16 and Short Form-12). Additionally, anthropometry and physical functioning (short physical performance battery, SPPB) were assessed. Overall scores for self-perceived health did not change over time in any group. Resilience and motivation (Vita-16) slightly improved only in the PA group, whilst mental health (SF-12) and energy (Vita-16) showed slight improvement only in the GA group. SPPB scores improved over time in both the PA and GA group. PA participants also showed a reduction in body fat percentage and hip circumference, whereas these parameters increased in the GA group Our findings suggest that although no clear effects on wellbeing were found, still, at least on the short term, personalized advice may evoke health benefits in a population of seniors as compared to generic advice.

Contains fulltext : 156142.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with abnormalities in speech and behavioural mimicry. These abnormalities may contribute to the impairments in interpersonal functioning that are often seen in MDD patients. MDD has also been associated with disturbances in the brain serotonin system, but the extent to which serotonin regulates speech and behavioural mimicry remains unclear. In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, we induced acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) in individuals with or without a family history of MDD. Five hours afterwards, participants engaged in two behavioural-mimicry experiments in which speech and behaviour were recorded. ATD reduced the time participants waited before speaking, which might indicate increased impulsivity. However, ATD did not significantly alter speech otherwise, nor did it affect mimicry. This suggests that a brief lowering of brain serotonin has limited effects on verbal and non-verbal social behaviour. The null findings may be due to low test sensitivity, but they otherwise suggest that low serotonin has little effect on social interaction quality in never-depressed individuals. It remains possible that recovered MDD patients are more strongly affected. 9 p.

Rationale Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with disturbances in social functioning and in the brain serotonin system. Reduced levels of serotonin may negatively influence social functioning, for example by impairing the recognition of facial emotion expressions. Objectives The present study investigated the effect of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD), which reduces brain serotonin, on a related component of social functioning, empathic accuracy (EA), and oxytocin levels. Methods Individuals with (FH+) and without (FH−) a family history of MDD participated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study. On two separate test days, participants ingested tryptophan-deficient and nutritionally balanced amino acid mixtures. Six hours later, they performed an EA task, which involved watching videos of people recounting autobiographical emotional events. While watching, participants continuously rated how these people felt during the recounting. Mood state was repeatedly assessed using the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule and a series of visual analogue scales. Blood samples obtained at baseline and 5 h after mixture ingestion were assessed for tryptophan and oxytocin levels. Results ATD decreased circulating levels of tryptophan and oxytocin. Nevertheless, there were no significant effects of ATD on EA or mood in either FH group. Conclusions While previous studies have shown that acute reductions in brain serotonin alter the recognition of facial emotion expressions in never-depressed individuals, the present study suggests that empathic abilities may remain unaffected. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00213-015-4093-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Facial emotions are important for human communication. Unfortunately, traditional facial emotion recognition tasks do not inform about how respondents might behave towards others expressing certain emotions. Approach-avoidance tasks do measure behaviour, but only on one dimension. In this study 81 participants completed a novel Facial Emotion Response Task. Images displaying individuals with emotional expressions were presented in random order. Participants simultaneously indicated how communal (quarrelsome vs. agreeable) and how agentic (dominant vs. submissive) they would be in response to each expression. We found that participants responded differently to happy, angry, fearful, and sad expressions in terms of both dimensions of behaviour. Higher levels of negative affect were associated with less agreeable responses specifically towards happy and sad expressions. The Facial Emotion Response Task might complement existing facial emotion recognition and approach-avoidance tasks.

Accumulating evidence supports the harmful effects of stress on health, including the development and progress of psychopathology (e.g. anxiety disorders), metabolic disorders (e.g. diabetes type II), inflammatory disturbances, and cardiovascular disease. These harmful effects are often expressed as disturbances in cortisol levels, patterns, or responses. Unfortunately, at present, cortisol assessment is only performed in the laboratory. This hinders rapid quantification, let alone being determined by individuals themselves, with self-testing devices or sensors. More accurate and timely detection of cortisol may have important implications for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of stress-related disorders as well as for those suffering from adrenal insufficiencies. The present review provides an overview of the most promising and challenging technologies for cortisol measurement. An important first conclusion might be that almost all reviewed technologies were at the proof-of-concept stage, meaning it was premature to interpret the findings in light of regulatory requirements for in vitro diagnostics. Nevertheless, several promising proto-types, including electrochemical sensors with wearable potential, were found and are consequently discussed. Overall the findings suggest that with significant additional investments and research efforts in the coming years, accurate, rapid, and repeated cortisol assessment in everyday life can become reality.

The Social Behavior Inventory (SBI) assesses social behaviors along the 2 orthogonal axes defining the interpersonal circumplex; that is, in terms of quarrelsomeness-agreeableness and dominance-submissiveness. To contribute to evidence evaluating the cross-cultural construct validity of the SBI, we investigated whether there are differences in how English-speaking students living in Canada and Dutch-speaking students living in The Netherlands view the SBI items. Results suggested there is similarity in the meaning of the items in the 2 cultures. The location of the original English SBI items on the 2 axes of the interpersonal circumplex was generally as expected. Similar results were found for a Dutch translation of the SBI. Differences occurred primarily along the dominance-submissiveness axis and could be explained by cultural differences in men's focus on power.

Exposure to intermittent episodes of social defeat stress can increase drug seeking and leads to intense drug taking in rats.This study investigated the consequences of repeated, intermittent social defeat stress on patterns of drug self-administration in rats with access to heroin, cocaine, or a heroin-cocaine combination ("speedball").Male Long-Evans rats were either handled (controls) or subjected to 25-min social defeat stress episodes on days 1, 4, 7, and 10 during confrontations with an aggressive resident. Ten days following the last defeat, rats were assessed for locomotor cross-sensitization in response to heroin or cocaine. Animals were then prepared with intrajugular catheters for drug self-administration. Separate groups of controls and defeated rats were examined for self-administration of heroin (experiment 1), a heroin-cocaine combination (experiment 2), or cocaine (experiment 3). Drug self-administration patterns were evaluated using fixed or progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement during limited access sessions or a 24-h unlimited access binge.Rats with a history of intermittent social defeat stress showed sensitized locomotor behavior when challenged with heroin or cocaine relative to controls. During the 24-h binge session, defeated rats escalated cocaine-taking behavior (ca. 110 mg/kg vs. 66 mg/kg in controls), persisted in self-administering cocaine or the heroin-cocaine mixture for more hours, and showed a tendency for increased heroin-cocaine intake, but no effects on heroin taking.A history of social defeat stress seems to preferentially promote escalated intake of cocaine but not heroin, unless a heroin-cocaine combination is available.

Background: Individuals with a family history of depression show subtle abnormalities in the processing of social stimuli. This could negatively affect their interpersonal functioning and contribute to their depression risk. Repeated administration of the serotonin precursor tryptophan has previously been shown to increase agreeable behavior and reduce quarrelsome behavior in irritable people, who are also considered at risk for depression.Methods: To examine the effects of tryptophan on social functioning in individuals with a family history of depression, 40 men and women with at least one first-degree relative with depression received tryptophan (1g three times a day) and placebo for 14 days each in a double-blind crossover design and recorded their social behavior and mood during everyday interpersonal encounters. Participants also provided daily ratings of their positive and negative cognitions concerning their social functioning.Results: Tryptophan improved mood. Unexpectedly, tryptophan increased quarrelsome behavior and reduced agreeable behavior, specifically during interactions at home. The behavioral effects of tryptophan were not moderated by mood or by the interaction partner. Negative social cognitions were lower when tryptophan was given second and lower during placebo when placebo was given second.Conclusion: Overall, tryptophan may not alter social behavior in individuals with a family history of depression as it does in irritable people. However, the behavioral effects of tryptophan at home might be seen as a way for individuals with a family history of depression to achieve more control. Over time, this may positively influence the way they feel and think about themselves in a social context.

With this commentary we make the case for an increased focus on the ecological validity of the measures used to assess aspects of human social functioning. Impairments in social functioning are seen in many types of psychopathology, negatively affecting the lives of psychiatric patients and those around them. Yet the neurobiology underlying abnormal social interaction remains unclear. As an example of human social neuroscience research with relevance to biological psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology, this commentary discusses published experimental studies involving manipulation of the human brain serotonin system that included assessments of social behavior. To date, these studies have mostly been laboratory-based and included computer tasks, observations by others, or single-administration self-report measures. Most laboratory measures used so far inform about the role of serotonin in aspects of social interaction, but the relevance for real-life interaction is often unclear. Few studies have used naturalistic assessments in real life. We suggest several laboratory methods with high ecological validity as well as ecological momentary assessment, which involves intensive repeated measures in naturalistic settings. In sum, this commentary intends to stimulate experimental research on the neurobiology of human social interaction as it occurs in real life.

In the past two decades, the study of mood disorder patients using experience sampling methods (ESM) and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has yielded important findings. In patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), the dynamics of their everyday mood have been associated with various aspects of their lives. To some degree similar studies have been conducted in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). In this paper we present the results of a systematic review of all ESM/EMA studies in MDD and BD to date. We focus not only on the correlates of patients' everyday mood but also on the impact on treatment, residual symptoms in remitted patients, on findings in pediatric populations, on MDD/BD specificity, and on links with neuroscience. After reviewing these six topics, we highlight the benefits of ESM/EMA for researchers, clinicians, and patients, and offer suggestions for future studies. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study Objectives: Dissociable cognitive strategies are used for place navigation. Spatial strategies rely on the hippocampus, an area important for flexible integration of novel information. Response strategies are more rigid and involve the dorsal striatum. These memory systems can compensate for each other in case of temporal or permanent damage. Sleep deprivation has adverse effects on hippocampal function. However, whether the striatal memory system can compensate for sleep-deprivation-induced hippocampal impairments is unknown.Design: With a symmetrical maze paradigm for mice, we examined the effect of sleep deprivation on learning the location of a food reward (training) and on learning that a previously nonrewarded arm was now rewarded (reversal training).Measurements and Results: Five hours of sleep deprivation after each daily training session did not affect performance during training. However, in contrast with controls, sleep-deprived mice avoided a hippocampus-dependent spatial strategy and preferentially used a striatum-dependent response strategy. In line with this, the training-induced increase in phosphorylation of the transcription factor cAMP response-element binding protein (CREB) shifted from hippocampus to dorsal striatum. Importantly, although sleep-deprived mice performed well during training, performance during reversal training was attenuated, most likely due to rigidity of the striatal system they used.Conclusions: Together, these findings suggest that the brain compensates for negative effects of sleep deprivation on the hippocampal memory system by promoting the use of a striatal memory system. However, effects of sleep deprivation can still appear later on because the alternative learning mechanisms and brain regions involved may result in reduced flexibility under conditions requiring adaptation of previously formed memories.