The building blocks to good metabolic health start when we are young. A new study from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) uncovers how early lifestyle changes can have long-lasting impacts. Diet and physical activity interventions in childhood and adolescence were found to profoundly influence metabolism even years later. The study shows how a better understanding of key metabolic influences from a young age is critical for longevity outcomes.
Why is metabolic health in children so important?
Your food choices, metabolism, microbiome, exercise, sleep, stress, and mental health — as well as your age, sex, and genes — all shape your unique metabolic health. It makes sense that we want to ensure our metabolic health is supported from a young age.
Some experts say that metabolic health means the absence of metabolic syndrome. This is a group of risk factors that contribute to the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and other metabolic diseases.
Risk factors for metabolic syndrome include high blood pressure, high blood fat, low levels of good cholesterol, high blood sugar, and a large waistline.
However, other experts argue that metabolic health means more than that. Being metabolically healthy means that a person has good health overall and has a low risk of developing metabolic diseases.
The building blocks to good metabolic health start when we are young
Healthy metabolism in kids plays a critical role in muscle growth, brain health, organ repair. It also helps in building immunity to fight off infections and diseases.
Studying metabolic outcomes in children
Recently, scientists from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) have taken a novel approach to this issue.
The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study is the first lifestyle intervention study using advanced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics technology. This technology analyzes molecular mechanisms underlying the health effects of lifestyle changes from childhood to adolescence.
Helping understand children’s health through PANIC
The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study is being carried out at the Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland. They are in collaboration with many national and international collaborative partners. The Principal Investigator of the study is Timo Lakka, Professor of Medical Physiology, Specialist in Internal Medicine.”
Study highlights
By analyzing blood samples, the researchers were able to identify changes in 80 metabolites. “These were metabolites linked to critical processes for the development of cardio-metabolic diseases, such as lipid metabolism, inflammation, and gut health,” says Postdoctoral Researcher Iman Zarei.
What makes the findings particularly important is that 17 of these metabolites remained altered even after eight years, although the most intensive part of the lifestyle intervention only lasted for the first two years.
This suggests that an early intervention might not just have immediate benefits, but also longer-lasting health effects.
Some of the most notable changes were in fatty amides, molecules involved in a variety of physiological functions such as inflammation, weight control, eating behavior, sleep induction, pain and anxiety control, angiogenesis, arterial dilation and neuroprotection.
Lowering the risk of chronic diseases through better metabolic health
According to the scientists, such changes may be linked to a lower risk of several chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
“Our research provides compelling evidence that early and sustained lifestyle changes can have a profound impact on a child’s health trajectory,” says Professor Timo Lakka, the lead researcher of the study.
He emphasizes the importance of starting healthy habits early, noting that these changes could prevent the onset of chronic diseases that often begin to develop in childhood or even over the fetal period.
The present study is one of the first to demonstrate how beneficial changes in diet and physical activity in childhood can affect the body’s metabolism even in the long term. The findings were published in the journal iScience.
End note
The PANIC study is part of the Metabolic Diseases Research Community at UEF and is dedicated to investigating major cardiometabolic diseases.
The results of the study will be used to improve children’s longevity outcomes
Good metabolic health needs to start from a young age. The PANIC Study will hopefully raise awareness and action.
From these studies, health workers will be able to offer long-term physical activity and dietary interventions to children and adolescents who most likely benefit from such interventions.
By leveraging genetics, genomics, translational research, and lifestyle interventions, the community aims to provide robust evidence on disease mechanisms and advance early diagnosis, prevention, and personalized treatment. The research community consists of 20 research groups spanning basic research into patient care.
References
Main photo credit: The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC)
Website: https://www.uef.fi/en/research-community/metabolic-diseases
Professor Timo A. Lakka, University of Eastern Finland, Institute of Biomedicine, [email protected], https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/timo.lakka/
Research article:
Iman Zarei, Aino-Maija Eloranta, Anton Klåvus, Juuso Väistö, Marko Lehtonen, Santtu Mikkonen, Ville M. Koistinen, Taisa Sallinen, Eero A. Haapala, Niina Lintu, Sonja Soininen, Retu Haikonen, Mustafa Atalay, Ursula Schwab, Seppo Auriola, Marjukka Kolehmainen, Kati Hanhineva, Timo A. Lakka, Eight-year diet and physical activity intervention affects serum metabolites during childhood and adolescence: A nonrandomized controlled trial. iScience, Volume 27, Issue 7, 110295, ISSN 2589-0042, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.110295
