Results underscore the long-term risks of suffering from a combined anxiety and depressive syndrome.

Background/Aims: To assess the association between food intake and diet quality and behavioral problems at the 10-year follow-up of the two population-based birth cohorts of the studies German Infant Nutritional Intervention and ‘Influences of lifestyle-related factors on the immune system and the development of allergies in childhood’. Methods: Cross-sectional data on food intake over the past year were collected by a parent-reported food frequency questionnaire. Diet quality was based on reference values of food amounts of the optimized mixed diet. Behavioral problems were assessed by a parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Relationships between food category intake, diet quality and behavior problems were examined using multivariable regression modeling adjusted for gender, sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index, physical exercise, television viewing/PC use and total energy intake. A total of 3,361 children with complete data were analyzed. Results: Children with increased intake of confectionery had increased odds of having emotional symptoms [adjusted odds ratio (OR_adj) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08–1.32] compared to children with low intake. A higher diet quality score was associated with lower likelihood of emotional symptoms (OR_adj 0.89, 95% CI 0.80–0.98). The unadjusted significant relationship between diet quality and hyperactivity/inattention was attenuated by adjusting for several confounders to an OR_adj of 0.92 (95% CI 0.82–1.03). Conclusions: Increased consumption of high-sugar products and lower diet quality are associated with a higher likelihood of emotional symptoms in children.

These data spanning almost two decades add significant information to the existing literature on the course of mental disorders in the community during the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Background: Little is known about the effect of fatty acid (FA) concentrations in cord blood on long-term behavioral outcomes. Objective: We assessed the effect of FAs in cord blood serum on children's behavioral difficulties at the age of 10 y. Design: A longitudinal study of 416 children from the populationbased Influences of Lifestyle-Related Factors on the Immune System and the Development of Allergies in Childhood (LISAplus) birth cohort from Munich was conducted. Individual glycerophospholipid FAs in blood were analyzed in venous cord blood. Data on children's behavior were collected with a parent-reported Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire at 10 y of age. Zero-inflated Poisson regression models were applied and adjusted for sex, parental income, smoking during pregnancy, and dietary intake of arachidonic acid (AA) and DHA at 10 y. Conclusion: Increased concentrations of DHA, LC-PUFAs, and AA in cord blood serum were associated with lower scores on a parentcompleted behavioral screen. An appropriate FA supply to the developing fetus may be essential for optimal long-term behavioral outcomes in children.Am J Clin Nutr 2011;94:1592-9.