Childhood overeating is associated with adverse cardiometabolic and inflammatory profiles in adolescence

Sci Rep. 2021 Jun 14;11(1):12478. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-90644-2.

Abstract

Childhood eating behaviour contributes to the rise of obesity and related noncommunicable disease worldwide. However, we lack a deep understanding of biochemical alterations that can arise from aberrant eating behaviour. In this study, we prospectively associate longitudinal trajectories of childhood overeating, undereating, and fussy eating with metabolic markers at age 16 years to explore adolescent metabolic alterations related to specific eating patterns in the first 10 years of life. Data are from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (n = 3104). We measure 158 metabolic markers with a high-throughput (1H) NMR metabolomics platform. Increasing childhood overeating is prospectively associated with an adverse cardiometabolic profile (i.e., hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipoproteinemia) in adolescence; whereas undereating and fussy eating are associated with lower concentrations of the amino acids glutamine and valine, suggesting a potential lack of micronutrients. Here, we show associations between early behavioural indicators of eating and metabolic markers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Body Mass Index
  • Cardiometabolic Risk Factors
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / diagnosis
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / etiology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / metabolism
  • Child
  • Child Behavior
  • Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Feeding Behavior*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hyperlipidemias / diagnosis
  • Hyperlipidemias / epidemiology*
  • Hyperlipidemias / etiology
  • Hyperlipidemias / metabolism
  • Hyperphagia / complications*
  • Hyperphagia / epidemiology
  • Hyperphagia / metabolism
  • Hyperphagia / psychology
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Metabolomics
  • Prospective Studies
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / statistics & numerical data