Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (2 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Merced Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2024)

Depression is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Previous research has shown that added sugar consumption and stress are both risk factors for depression. Despite evidence that added sugar consumption and stress both affect the HPA axis and may thus interact to amplify the risk of depression, no research has explored this interaction. In this dissertation, I investigated the possible effects of total added sugar and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on depression, and their potential interactions with chronic stress. In a two-study series, measures of sugar consumption, chronic stress, and depression were taken in an adult community sample at two time points (Study 1) and a sample of pregnant women followed into the postpartum period (Study 2). I hypothesized that high sugar consumption would predict more depression, and stress amplify this effect. In summary, across two studies, sugar consumption predicted depressive symptoms. However, these results were no longer statistically significant when various covariates or baseline depression levels were added into the models. No interactions between sugar and stress were found in the predicted direction. These results suggest that, while added sugar consumption and depressive symptoms are positively correlated, their relationship is complex and further research is warranted.

    Cover page: The interaction of stress and sugar consumption as a predictor of depressionCreative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Merced Previously Published Works (2022)
    BACKGROUND: Antibiotic exposure in pregnancy is associated with reduced microbiome diversity in the infant gut. Given that recent research has shown that early microbiome health can impact child socioemotional development, we examined the relationship between prenatal antibiotic exposure in pregnancy and childhood socioemotional developmental outcomes using a large, nationally representative longitudinal dataset. METHODS: A sample of 4800 diverse families were assessed from the population cohort of the Growing Up in New Zealand Study (GUiNZ), which prospectively follows children starting in the last trimester of pregnancy into early childhood. Socioemotional development was measured using a composite score derived from seven commonly used socioemotional tasks administered between 9 months and 4.5 years of child age, addressing emotional expression understanding, regulation of emotions and behavior, and social problem solving and relationship skills. A national comprehensive pharmaceutical database was used to determine childrens prenatal antibiotic exposure. Multivariate linear regressions models were used to examine the effects of the timing (trimester) and dosage (number of courses) of prenatal antibiotic exposure on socioemotional development, with and without statistically adjusting for confounding factors addressing maternal health, socioeconomic status, maternal age, and child sex. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, antibiotic exposure was inversely associated with child socioemotional development. However, after statistically adjusting for important confounds, socioemotional development was not associated with prenatal antibiotic exposure at any dosage or trimester of pregnancy (all β ≤ -0.02). CONCLUSION: Prenatal antibiotic exposure does not appear to impact early childhood socioemotional development. Maternal health and sociodemographic factors are confounded with antibiotic exposure and socioemotional development, a fact that should be considered in future research examining the effects of prenatal antibiotic exposure on child health. These findings may be reassuring to families who are concerned about the long-term effects of antibiotics in pregnancy on child health outcomes.
      Cover page: Prenatal antibiotic exposure in pregnancy and early childhood socioemotional development.Creative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license
      Top