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DNA blood test may help predict obesity in children
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With its ability to read DNA, a simple blood test may help physicians predict whether a child will become obese, researchers at the Universities of Southampton, Exeter and Plymouth in England found.
In the study published in Diabetes, researchers from Southampton looked at DNA samples from 40 children (20 boys, 20 girls) randomly selected from the EarlyBird project, a cohort of 307 children born in 1995 and 1996 who were assessed by the Plymouth team once a year from age 5 to 14 years for factors related to type 2 diabetes.
Researchers extracted the DNA from participants’ stored blood samples to test for epigenetic switches in the PGC1a gene, which regulates fat storage in the body. These switches take place through DNA methylation, a chemical change that dictates how genes work and is set during early life.
Results showed the test, when carried out on children aged 5 years, was capable of predicting which children would develop high body fat vs. those with a low body fat when they were older. A 10% increase in DNA methylation levels at age 5 years was associated with up to 12% more body fat at age 14 years. Results were independent of sex, physical activity and time of puberty.
“The results of our study provide further evidence that being overweight or obese in childhood is not just due to lifestyle, but may also involve important basic processes that control our genes,” said Graham Burdge, BSc, PhD, of the University of Southampton research team. “We hope that this knowledge will help us to develop and test new ways to prevent children developing obesity which can be introduced before a child starts to gain excess weight.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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