Vagal blockade of the brain-liver axis deters cancer-associated cachexia.

Substantial gastric cancer disparities exist for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in nearly all regions of the United States (U.S.). For American Indian adults in the Navajo Nation, the largest tribe in the Southwest, the prevalence of (), a known risk factor for gastric cancer, is twice as high as that of the U.S. population (~60% stool-based versus 27%, seroprevalence). The high prevalence in the Navajo Nation may be a contributing factor to high incidence and mortality rates of gastric cancer in this population. Diet is an important contributor to the gastric environment and may influence the course of infection. Epidemiological studies have highlighted diets high in sodium and processed meats as being associated with infection, although some studies show no association. Proposed mechanisms have linked sodium to increased pathogenicity of through changes in the stomach’s protective mucous lining, aiding in the colonization and expression of virulence genes of , and initiating inflammatory responses of the gastric epithelium that increase epithelial cell proliferation. There are limited studies that examine the relationship between diet and infection, specifically within American Indian communities, particularly at the tribal level. The extent of dietary investigation and infection among AI/AN people has been limited to assessing the type of water consumed and alcohol consumption. In particular, a study of 101 Navajo adults found that individuals who consumed unregulated water (i.e. not disinfected or monitored for safety) had a higher odds of infection than individuals who consumed regulated water. To add to the limited literature on diet and among AI/AN people and to assess more than one diet factor, our study used an approach to derive whole diet patterns of Navajo adults to examine the association between diet and infection. We used data from food questionnaires that included tribal foods from 104 Navajo adults from our 2021–2022 pilot study. Given the high prevalence of infection in the Navajo Nation and the mechanistic association of sodium and , we hypothesized that Navajo adults with a diet high in sodium-containing foods would have higher odds of infection than adults with diets lower in sodium-containing foods.