1. Andrew Oswald (Warwick) Joint work with Redzo Mujcic (Vienna)
Happy Eating
Basel seminar December 2016
Andrew Oswald (Warwick)
Joint work with Redzo Mujcic (Vienna)

2. STEP 1

3. Max Planck (1897/1903):
“it is impossible to construct an engine which will … produce energy… from nothing.”

4. “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents …

5. “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents … but rather because its opponents eventually die…”

6. A now-large literature

7. Say we approach the topic in a different way than is usual.

8. Let’s think about biological fundamentals, and the first law of thermodynamics.

9. As humans, we run on a kind of fuel:

10. As humans, we run on a kind of fuel: food

11. STEP 2

12. STEP 2

13. Now consider the quality of the fuel

14. Now consider the quality of the fuel

15. Here’s the system that keeps us going.

16. The gastro-intestinal tract (GI Tract)

17. If you want to know more

18. And forget the AER

19. And forget the AER...why not publish in GUT (Impact Factor = 14.9)

20. And forget the AER...why not publish in GUT (Impact Factor = 14.9)

21. Why would a social scientist care?

22. The GI Tract system stores 90% of something important to us.

23. The GI Tract system stores 90% of something important to us.
5-hydroxytryptamine

24. The GI Tract system stores 90% of something important to us.
5-hydroxytryptamine...which is

25. The neurotransmitter serotonin

26. Your GI Tract stores 90% of your serotonin.

27. There is a large literature on links between serotonin and mental well-being (or ill-being).

28. FOLATE-DEFICIENCY AND DECREASED BRAIN 5-HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE SYNTHESIS IN MAN AND RAT
By: BOTEZ, MI; YOUNG, SN; BACHEVALIER, J; et al.
NATURE  Volume: 278   Issue: 5700   Pages:   Published: 1979

29. Moreover

30. Moreover
A whole class of antidepressants works by promoting higher levels of serotonin. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

31. There are lots of interesting papers to read on this topic.

32. How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs
By: Young, Simon N.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY & NEUROSCIENCE  Volume: 32   Issue: 6   Pages:   Published: NOV 2007

33. Influence of clinical factors, diet, and drugs on the human upper gastrointestinal glutathione system
By: Hoensch, H; Morgenstern, I; Petereit, G; et al.
GUT  Volume: 50   Issue: 2   Pages:   Published: FEB 2002

34. There is known to be a cross-sectional link between folate and mental health

35. There is known to be a cross-sectional link between folate and mental health
Serum Folate, Vitamin B-12, and Homocysteine and Their Association With Depressive Symptoms Among U.S. Adults
By: Beydoun, May A.; Shroff, Monal R.; Beydoun, Hind A.; et al.
PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE  Volume: 72   Issue: 9   Pages:   Published: NOV-DEC 2010

36. However, nearly all RCTs giving people folate in pills (compared to a placebo) have failed to find an effect.

37. B vitamins in RCTs have been somewhat more successful
Effects of Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation on Stress, Mild Psychiatric Symptoms, and Mood in Nonclinical Samples: A Meta-Analysis
By: Long, Sara-Jayne; Benton, David
PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE  Volume: 75   Issue: 2   Pages:   Published: FEB-MAR 2013

38. The main idea in this paper

39. The main idea in this paper
There may be an important link between food types and later happiness and mental well-being.

40. The main idea in this paper
There may be an important link between food types and later happiness and mental well-being.

41. Plus a tiny number of RCTs.
There is a prior cross-sectional literature on the wellbeing pattern with Fruit+Veg portions.
Plus a tiny number of RCTs.

42. Also a recent diary study
Many apples a day keep the blues away - Daily experiences of negative and positive affect and food consumption in young adults By: White, Bonnie A.; Horwath, Caroline C.; Conner, Tamlin S. BRITISH JOURNAL OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Pages: Published: NOV 2013

43. Plus I hugely recommend:
Rooney C, McKinley MC, Woodside JV (2013). The potential role of fruit and vegetables in aspects of psychological well-being: A review of the literature and future directions. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 72,

44. Our paper uses Australian data:

45. The initial data in our study come from Waves 7 and 9 (years 2007 and 2009) of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey.
Sample size = 12,000 people approx.

46. We then replicated it on recent 2013 data.

51. The main findings (from fixed-effect equations) are:

52. Life satisfaction and fruit+veg portions

53. Happiness and fruit+veg portions

54. We also document evidence that

55. We also document evidence that Well-being in time t+1 is an increasing function of F+V consumption in t.

56. We also document evidence that Well-being in time t+1 is an increasing function of F+V consumption in t.

57. We also document evidence that Well-being in time t+1 is an increasing function of F+V consumption in t.

58. We also document evidence that Well-being in time t+1 is an increasing function of F+V consumption in t. (and not the other way around.)

61. Plus we exploit, as an IV, the introduction of Fruit and Veg promotion campaigns in the states of Australia.

62. Redzo and I cannot solve the causality problem in a clean way.

63. Could you turn to the hard-copy.
But I hope you might think these patterns of interest.
Could you turn to the hard-copy.

64. “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents … but rather ….”
M. Planck

65. Andrew Oswald (Warwick) Joint work with Redzo Mujcic (Vienna)
Happy Eating
Basel seminar December 2016
Andrew Oswald (Warwick)
Joint work with Redzo Mujcic (Vienna)