Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug 28;12(9):809.
doi: 10.3390/metabo12090809.

LIMIT: LIfestyle and Microbiome InTeraction Early Adiposity Rebound in Children, a Study Protocol

Rachele De Giuseppe  1 , Federica Loperfido  1 , Rosa Maria Cerbo  2 , Maria Cristina Monti  3 , Elisa Civardi  2 , Francesca Garofoli  2 , Micol Angelini  2 , Beatrice Maccarini  1 , Eduardo Sommella  4 , Pietro Campiglia  4 , Laura Bertuzzo  5 , Marcello Chieppa  6 , Stefano Ghirardello  2 , Hellas Cena  1   7
Affiliations

LIMIT: LIfestyle and Microbiome InTeraction Early Adiposity Rebound in Children, a Study Protocol

Rachele De Giuseppe et al. Metabolites. .

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a strong predictor of adult obesity with health and economic consequences for individuals and society. Adiposity rebound (AR) is a rise in the Body Mass Index occurring between 3 and 7 years. Early adiposity rebound (EAR) occurs at a median age of 2 years and predisposes to a later onset of obesity. Since obesity has been associated with intestinal dysbiosis, we hypothesize that EAR could be related to early microbiome changes due to maternal/lifestyle changes and environmental exposures, which can increase the unhealthy consequences of childhood obesity. LIMIT is a prospective cohort study that aims at identifying the longitudinal interplay between infant gut microbiome, infant/maternal lifestyle, and environmental variables, in children with EAR vs. AR. Methods. The study evaluated 272 mother-infant pairs, enrolled at an Italian neonatal unit, at different time points (T0, at delivery; T1, 1 month; T2, 6 months; T3, 12 months; T4, 24 months; T5, 36 months after birth). The variables that were collected include maternal/infant anthropometric measurements, lifestyle habits, maternal environmental endocrine disruptor exposure, as well as infant AR. The LIMIT results will provide the basis for early identification of those maternal and infant modifiable factors on which to act for an effective and personalized prevention of childhood obesity.

Keywords: childhood obesity; early adiposity rebound; lifestyle; microbiome; nutrition.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Buoncristiano M., Spinelli A., Williams J., Nardone P., Rito A.I., García-Solano M., Grøholt E.K., Gutiérrez-González E., Klepp K.I., Starc G., et al. Childhood overweight and obesity in Europe: Changes from 2007 to 2017. Obes. Rev. 2021;22:e13226. doi: 10.1111/obr.13226. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Finkelstein E.A. How big of a problem is obesity? Surg. Obes. Relat. Dis. 2014;10:569–570. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2014.02.028. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Whitaker R.C., Wright J.A., Pepe M.S., Seidel K.D., Dietz W.H. Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. N. Engl. J. Med. 1997;337:869–873. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199709253371301. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Juonala M., Magnussen C.G., Berenson G.S., Venn A., Burns T.L., Sabin M.A., Srinivasan S.R., Daniels S.R., Davis P.H., Chen W., et al. Childhood Adiposity, Adult Adiposity, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors. N. Engl. J. Med. 2011;365:1876–1885. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1010112. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pulgaron E.R., Delamater A.M. Obesity and type 2 diabetes in children: Epidemiology and treatment. Curr. Diab. Rep. 2014;14:508. doi: 10.1007/s11892-014-0508-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed