In this new study within the Human Early Life Exposome (HELIX) project, Martine Vrijheid’s team at Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) examined over 800 blood samples at a multi-omic level to identify risk factors that contribute to childhood obesity and its associated biological mechanisms. The team analysed the DNA methylation, microRNA, messenger RNA (mRNA), proteins and metabolites.
The children that participated on the study were from Kaunas (Lithuania), Oslo (Norway), Bradford (United Kingdom), Poitiers (France), Heraklion (Greece) and Sabadell (Spain). In addition to blood samples, the researchers collected information regarding the health and the exposure to environmental factors from both the children and the mothers during pregnancy. These data helped determine that the weight of the mother during the pregnancy is one of the factors affecting childhood obesity.
With the results of the multi-omic analysis, it was possible to classify the samples into three different clusters according to the risk of suffering childhood obesity and the derived metabolic problems.
Among other things, the study found that children with an overactive immune system (with higher levels of inflammation markers) are at a higher risk of obesity and metabolic complications. It also identified that environmental risks differ greatly between geographical regions. While in northern Europe one of the greatest risks is the exposure to pefluorooctanate, in southern Europe it is the exposure to mercury in fish.
Stratakis, N., Anguita-Ruiz, A., Fabbri, L. et al. Multi-omics architecture of childhood obesity and metabolic dysfunction uncovers biological pathways and prenatal determinants. Nat Commun 16, 654 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56013-7
