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 individuals 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