Nitrated meat products are associated with mania in humans and altered behavior and brain gene expression in rats

Mania is a serious neuropsychiatric condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have suggested that environmental exposures can contribute to mania pathogenesis. We measured dietary exposures in a cohort of individuals with mania and other psychiatric disorders as well as in control individual without a psychiatric disorder. We found that a history of eating nitrated dry cured meat, but not other meat or fish products, was strongly and independently associated with current mania (adjusted odds ratio 3.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.24-5.45, p<8.97x 10-8). Lower odds of association were found between eating nitrated dry cured meat and other psychiatric disorders. We further found that the feeding of meat preparations with added nitrate to rats resulted in alterations in behavior and changes in intestinal microbiota. Rats fed diets with added nitrate also showed alterations of brain pathways dysregulated in mania. These findings may lead to new methods for preventing mania and for developing novel therapeutic interventions

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Khambadkone SG, Cordner ZA, Dickerson F, Severance EG, Prandovszky E, Pletnikov M, Xiao J, Li Y, Boersma GJ, Talbot CC Jr, Campbell WW, Wright CS, Siple CE, Moran TH, Tamashiro KL, Yolken RH