A study from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) uncovers how early lifestyle changes can have long-lasting impacts. A diet and physical activity intervention in childhood and adolescence was found to profoundly influence metabolism even years later.
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 to analyse molecular mechanisms underlying the health effects of lifestyle changes from childhood to adolescence. By analysing blood samples, the researchers were able to identify changes in 80 metabolites. “These were metabolites linked to critical processes for the development of cardiometabolic diseases, such as lipid metabolism, inflammation, and gut health,” says Postdoctoral Researcher Iman Zarei.
“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 emphasises 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 foetal 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.
View: https://www.uef.fi/en/research-community/metabolic-diseases