Predictors and associations of childhood dietary inflammation with obesity

Prof. Catherine Phillips, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Ireland

2020

Better understanding of the relationship between dietary inflammation and adiposity in childhood may be important in the context of identifying modifiable behaviours for early prevention of childhood obesity.

Study Aim

To investigate if more proinflammatory diets are associated with greater adiposity in early-, mid-, and late-childhood.

Scientific Approach

Pooled analyses of individual participant data across 6 cohorts and 4European countries. describing the inflammatory potential of children’s diets in early, mid and late childhood and investigating cross-sectional associations with childhood adiposity as well as predictors.

Expected Outcomes

This study will contribute new information about associations between childhood dietary inflammatory potential and adiposity, as well as the potential predictors,which will provide more actionable prevention strategies of childhood obesity.

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Funded projects

Transmission of obesity from mother to child through microbiota transfer and impact on feeding behavior

Mother & Child Health and Nutrition

Dr. Patricia Parnet, UMR1280, Nantes University, France

Studies suggest that obesity could be ‘transmitted’ frommother to child. Since maternal microbiota is the main determinant of childintestine colonization, the transmission of a maternal microbiota"signature" of obesity to her child during perinatal period, couldpotentially affect his metabolism.

NourishMinds: Unraveling the Impact of Early-Life High-Sugar Diets on Neuro-Cognitive Development and Gut-Brain Pathways in Children

Brain Development

Dr. Harriet Schellekens, APC Microbiome, University College Cork, Ireland

How can we better cultivate healthy eating behaviour in our children?Unhealthy eating patterns, characterized by excessive consumption of highly palatable (high-sugar and high-fat) processed foods, are alarmingly prevalent among children globally. A poor early-life diet profoundly impacts on the metabolic programming and infant brain development, heightening the risk of obesity later in life, and associated cognitive impairment, including attention, executive function, and decision making.

Exploring Gut-Brain Connections: Investigating Modifiable Microbial Determinants of Neurodevelopment in Mid-Childhood: A Twin Study Approach

Brain Development

Prof. Jeffrey Craig, Deakin University, Autralia

Human neurodevelopment occurs from early pregnancy through to early adulthood. During this time, there are several windows in which the developing brain is sensitive to environmental influence. Such environments can affect the senses, language, learning, memory, and higher-order thinking.We know that the mix of beneficial organisms in our gut, the microbiome, plays a role in brain development up to at least age three. However, it is not known whether the microbiome has a lasting impact on brain development beyond infancy.

Discover all funded projects