Mood food

♯footprintforum Sustainable Responsible Business

MOOD FOOD 22ND MARCH 2012

Nick Fenwicke-Clennell CEO

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Matt Dawson MBE

Food and Performance

courtesy of

♯footprintforum Sustainable Responsible Business

♯footprintforum Sustainable Responsible Business

Professor John Stein

Food, Mood and Behaviour

Emeritus Professor of Physiology & Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford

♯footprintforum Sustainable Responsible Business

Supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Dyslexia Research Trust (www.dyslexic.org.uk) & the Institute of Food, Brain & Behaviour

John Stein Dept. Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics &

Magdalen College Oxford

Food, Mood & Behaviour

A highly sociable person leads a happier life?

Overview  •  We  grew  such  large  brains  because  

humans  are  the  most  social  animals  •  Successful,  coopera9ve,  social  interac9ons  

require  rapid  and  accurate  focussing  of  visual  and  auditory  a'en*on  to  pick  up  social  cues  

•  Rapid  &  accurate  a@en9onal  focus  depends  on    ‘magnocellular’  neurones  

•  These  are  very  vulnerable  to  lack  of  essen9al  nutrients  normally  provided  by  fish  

•  Providing  these  as  supplements  can  improve  mood  &  behaviour    

Increase  in  Homanoid    Brain  Size  

Size of brain

Size of group

Primate brain size humans

Robin Dunbar

New?  threats  to  Social  Brain  •  Increased  complexity  of  life?  •  Crowding;  XS  stress?  •  Informa9on  overload?  •  Collapse  of  old  certain9es?  •  Lack  of  respect?  •  Not  enough  educa9on?  Child  abuse:  

Early  stress  damages  brain  •  Sink  estates  –  impoverished  

environment  damages  brain  Are  these  really  worse  than  150  yrs  ago:  

very  high  child  mortality,  abuse,  violence,  starva*on?    

The  only  truly  new  threats  to  the  social  brain  are:  

• Poor  nutri9on  • Lack  of  exercise  • Obesity  

Nutrition - Did we evolve in the sea?

Botticelli – Venus emerges from the sea

•  Did humans evolve from apes that lived in or very near water (Alistair Hardy, Elaine Morgan, Michael Crawford)

•  Naked - v. little hair

•  Sweating, not panting

•  Low Larynx

•  Bipedal

•  Our nutrition: we need vitamins A & D, omega 3s, EPA & DHA; also iron, zinc, selenium, iodine in diet, all found in fish

•  Because fish was so plentiful, no selective pressure to synthesise them

Fish  Diet  •  We adapted to a fish hunter/

gatherer economy •  Fish supplied plenty of omega-3

Docosahexanoic acid (DHA) •  Our brains contain 100G of DHA •  This allowed our 10x expansion of

brain size and our 100x increase in brain connections compared with chimps

•  Sugar, saturated fats (high in calories) and salt were rare, so we are genetically programmed to like them

•  But invention of agriculture and food industry made them cheap

•  So the 3 S’s now kill us!

Modern diet is appalling! Too much of the 3 S’s: sugar, saturated fat, salt

Not enough omega 3s from fish; vits A&D, iron, iodine, zinc, fibre

An effect of the 3 S’s and lack of fish

Fish oils are vital for focussing attention. This is far more important than you might think!

A@en9on  is  mediated  by  magnocellular  

systems  

•  Social  communica*on  (speech,  literacy,  reading  social  cues)  depends  upon  being  able  to  accurately  sequence  speech  sounds,  tones  of  voice,  le@ers,  facial  expressions  

•  This  requires  accurate  sequen9al  focussing  of  visual  &  auditory  a'en*on  

•  Main  sequencing  system  –  the  ‘dorsal  a@en9onal  system’  is  dominated  by  input  from  magnocellular  neurones    

•  Impaired  development  of  magnocellular  neurones  is  found  in  neurodevelopmental  condi9ons  such  as  dyslexia,  Asberger’s,  an9social  conduct  disorder  

•  These  magnocellular  neurones  need  omega  3  fish  oils  (DHA  and  EPA)  to  func9on  properly  

•  But  fish  is  expensive  and  3/4s  of  popula9on  eat  no  fish  at  all  

•  So  DHA  and  EPA  supplements  should  be  used  to  improve  a@en9on,  speech,  reading  and  social  interac9ons  

Attention and Fish

Magnocellular nerve cells are much larger than others- rapid responses for timing events:

high sensitivity to motion & flicker - control sequencing of

attention and eye movements - very vulnerable to omega-3

deficiency

Most nerve cells are smaller (parvocellular): for static responses eg colour, fine

detail

Magnocellular Neurones

Visual magnocellular system directs visual attention & eye movements.

The  magnocellular  system  is  excep*onally  vulnerable  –  eg  impaired  development  in  

dyslexia  •  30%  smaller  LGN  magnocells  

post  mortem    •  Reduced  and  delayed  evoked  

brain  waves  •  Unstable  eye  control    •  Reduced  visual  mo9on  

sensi9vity  •  Reduced  ac9va9on  of  cor9cal  

mo9on  areas  (FMRI)    •  Lower  sensi9vity  to  contrast  

•  Lower sensitivity to flicker •  Lower stereoacuity •  Reduced visual jitter •  Weaker visual attention -

slower visual search •  Visual crowding •  Mini left neglect - clock

drawing •  Prolonged line motion

illusion •  Reduced Ternus effect

Abnormal magnocells in dyslexic brain

Impaired  auditory  magnocells  in  neurodevelopmental  condi9ons?  

•  Changes  in  voice  frequency  and  amplitude  signal  commands,  persuasion,  anger,  fear,  pleasure  

•  Processed  by  auditory  magnocellular  neurones  in  the  auditory  brainstem  

•  Dyslexics  have  smaller  magnocellular  neurones  in  L.  medial  geniculate  N.  

•  Lower  AM  &  FM  sensi9vity  •  The  inappropriate  responses  of  an9social  

offenders  to  auditory  social  cues  may  result  from  impaired  development  of  their  auditory  magnocells  

Fish!  -­‐  cod  liver  oil  queue,  1949  

In 1941 Dr Hugh Sinclair, Magdalen College, Oxford persuaded the WW2 government to provide free cod liver oil to all pregnant mothers and young children.

He’d found severe deficiencies in Vitamin D and fish oil omega 3 fatty acids in London’s East Enders.

“The average Brit was better fed at the height of the blockade in 1943 than today”

 Your  brain  contains  100G  of  DHA;  this  cons9tutes  30%  of  excitable  membranes.    Magnocellular  

neurones  are  especially  vulnerable  to  low  DHA.    In  order  to  open  and  

signal  fast,  their  ionic  channels  need  flexible  DHA  in  the  surrounding    membrane  

Fish is good for the heart & brain!

•  By increasing membrane flexibility, DHA speeds up neuronal Na, K, NMDA, GABAa currents; ie accelerates neuronal responses

•  ∴  improves vulnerable magnocellular timing functions

•  EPA is converted into eicosanoids: thromboxanes, prostaglandins (3 series), leucotrienes (5 series), resolvins

•  These are all anti inflammatory and anti stress: IL1 ↓, TNF ↓, cortisol ↓, pain ↓

•  Increase neurogenesis; decrease apoptosis

•  Increase neurite outgrowth (syntaxin) and synapse formation

•  Strengthen hemispheric lateralisation,

•  Reduce pain transmission (TRPV1 receptors)

•  Prevent accumulation of insoluble amyloid precursor protein & improve memory (Alzheimer’s)

Good diet is crucial for proper neuronal growth. Without the omega-3, DHA, these nerve cells

failed to grow proper axons. EPA is also required for eicosanoid signalling

molecules– prostaglandins, leucotrienes, resolvins

Impaired  neurogenesis  in  developing  orbito-­‐  frontal  cortex  in  absence  of  omega-­‐3s  

DHA  &  EPA  deficiency  in  dyslexia,  ADHD  and  an9social  

behaviour?  •  Magnocellular  neurones  media9ng  the  focussed  a@en9on  required  for  accurate  sequencing  are  par9cularly  vulnerable  to  omega  3  (fish  oil)  deficiency    

•  Low  blood  and  brain  omega-­‐3s  •  Omega  3  supplements  can  improve  reading,  concentra*on  and  behaviour  

Gold standard for proving causal effect – double blind, randomised control trials – RCTs. Randomly allocate half to active supplements; half to placebo; then all other factors should be the same between the groups. Hence any difference in outcome must be caused by the supplement

Durham  RCT  -­‐  Omega  3  EPA  supplements  helped  dyspraxic  children  to  improve  their  concentra9on  and  their  reading  

(Richardson  &  Montgomery)  

Increase in Reading age in 3 months

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

n-3 placebo

RA

incr

ease

n-3

placebo

ADHD  treatment  effects  aTer  3  months  supplements  

Global scales(Mean change / Baseline SD)

0.26

0.31

0.34

0.54

0.58

0.61

0.50

-0.60 -0.40 -0.20 0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80

Conners' Index

DSM Hyperactivity

Emotional Lability

Conners' Total

Restless-Impulsive

DSM Total

DSM Inattention

HUFA (n=15)Placebo (n=14)

Richardson et al.

Antisocial Behaviour

"I would there were no age between ten and three-and-twenty, or that

youth would sleep out the rest; for there is nothing in the between, but

getting wenches with child, wronging the ancients, stealing, fighting.“

William Shakespeare

A Winter’s Tale

Omega–3, vitamins & mineral supplements reduced offences in 275 Young Offenders by 1/3rd ���

(BJP - Gesch et al.)

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

Before Supplementation During SupplementationRatio

of R

ate

of D

isci

plin

ary

Inci

dent

s Su

pple

men

tatio

n/Ba

selin

e

Active

Placebo

Error bars at 2SE to indicate the 95% confidence interval

1133 offences: ITT- Active v Placebo: -26.3 % (p ‹ 0.03) Supplementation for at least 2 weeks: -34.0% Violent offences only: -37.0% (p <0.005) In progress: 750 young offenders in 3 UK prisons; results soon!

0

2

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12

voormeting nameting

voedingssupplementenplacebo-conditie

No of incidents in Dutch prison per 1000 prisoner days

Supplements versus placebo.

Conclusions    •  Poor modern nutrition prevents people’s brains working

properly •  Causes impaired magnocellular function leading to

defective focussing of visual & auditory attention; also affects skin & muscle senses, motor intention

•  Hence impairs cognition, communication, mood, social interaction → impulsivity, lack of self control

•  Thus diet deterioration is causing mind change - changes comparable to climate change –- adverse effects on human mood, intelligence, behaviour and creativity

•  This is not trivial! It is a leading cause of ill health in the developed world. Costs: $400 billion per annum in USA (cf heart disease $500 billion)

•  The most important cause is decreased omega 3 consumption.

•  This knowledge is exciting because this can be fixed!

Best of all; eat more fish!

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Amanda Ursell

Nutrition in the Workplace

courtesy of

♯footprintforum Sustainable Responsible Business

Nutrition  in  the  Workplace    

*  1.  The  role  of  nutrition  in  the  workplace  and  what  it  can  do  for  you.    *  2.  Examples  where  nutrition  is  being  taken  seriously  in  the  workplace  –  and  its  impact.    *  3.  The  appetite  for  more  knowledge  about  nutrition  from  businesses  and  people  that  work  in  them.  *  4.  My  experiences  of  changing  attitudes  towards  nutrition  in  the  workplace.    

Happy!    

Impact?    

*  Understand  the  culture  of  the  individual  business    

*  Be  relevant    

*  Remember  that  everyone  counts    

How  should  it  be  done?    

*  Wholemeal  carrots    

*  Stone-­‐ground  eggs    

*  Free  range  bread    

Dark  Chocolate  and  a…  

Everyone’s  a  Winner!  

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Jessica Collinge

Food and Mood

vielife

♯footprintforum Sustainable Responsible Business

Global leaders in health solutions

Footprint  Forum:  Food  and  Mood  Jessica  Colling,  Product  Director  

vielife  

Who  is  vielife?  We  work  with  organisa9ons  to  improve  the  well-­‐being  of  their  staff.        • Online,  telephonic,  paper  and  on-­‐site  services  • Mul9-­‐lingual:  26  localised  versions  of  the  solu9on  • Personalized,  customizable  solu9on  • Detailed  client  repor9ng  • Detailed  personal  informa9on  and  recommenda9ons  for  individuals  

Assess   Report   Targeted  improvement   Re-­‐assess  

© vielife 2012: not for distribution or reproduction

Who  we  work  with  

© vielife 2012: not for distribution or reproduction

vielife  Philosophy  –  four  core  pillars      

Stress     Nutri*on    

Ac*vity    Sleep    

© vielife 2012: not for distribution or reproduction

Online  services  

© vielife 2012: not for distribution or reproduction

Measuring  the  impact  

© vielife 2012: not for distribution or reproduction

"   3  in  5  people  (60%)  have  a  poor  or  ‘at  risk’  nutri9on  status  

"   Only  18%  report  ea9ng  5  or  more  por9ons  of  fruit  and  vegetables  a  day  

"   90%  don’t  eat  6  or  more  por9ons  of  fibre  a  day  

The Results: nutrition in the workplace

Results from ~42,000 assessments

"   People  with  a  good  nutri9on  score  have:  –  15%  higher  mood  score  –  14%  be@er  physical  ac9vity  score    –  6%  higher  job  sa9sfac9on  

The impact of nutrition

"   Overall,  a  good  nutri9on  score  correlates  with  a  28%  be@er  stress  management  score  

"   A  closer  look:          Nutri*on  score  compared  to  Stress  score  

Nutrition and stress

Produc*vity  "  People  with  poor  nutri9onal  balance  report  being  15%  less  produc9ve  than  those  with  good  nutri9onal  balance…    "  2.8  hours  per  week  difference  "  If  work  46  weeks  a  year,  that’s  16  days  of  lost  produc9ve  9me:  over  3  weeks!    

Sickness  absence  "  Respondents  with  poor  nutri9on  scores  report  50%  more  sickness  absence  than  those  with  good  nutri9on  scores:  4.8  days  per  year  vs.  3.2  days  per  year  

Overall  impact  "  60%  of  the  popula9on  have  ‘high  risk’  nutri9on  scores:  3.5  weeks  of  lost  produc9ve  9me  per  person/year  

The business impact

Thank you!

j.colling@vielife.com

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the panel..

Jessica Colling Product Director vielife Dr. Sue Gatenby Nutrition Director Europe Pepsico Int. Richard Neal Director Lancing Press Felicity Yardy Juice Master Blender Innocent Drinks David Steel Development Chef Lexington Catering

♯footprintforum Sustainable Responsible Business

♯footprintforum Sustainable Responsible Business