Metabolic phenotyping of malnutrition during the first 1000 days of life

Abstract

Nutritional restrictions during the first 1000 days of life can impair or delay the physical and cognitive development of the individual and have long-term consequences for their health. Metabolic phenotyping (metabolomics/metabonomics) simultaneously measures a diverse range of low molecular weight metabolites in a sample providing a comprehensive assessment of the individual's biochemical status. There are a growing number of studies applying such approaches to characterize the metabolic derangements induced by various forms of early-life malnutrition. This includes acute and chronic undernutrition and specific micronutrient deficiencies. Collectively, these studies highlight the diverse and dynamic metabolic disruptions resulting from various forms of nutritional deficiencies. Perturbations were observed in many pathways including those involved in energy, amino acid, and bile acid metabolism, the metabolic interactions between the gut microbiota and the host, and changes in metabolites associated with gut health. The information gleaned from such studies provides novel insights into the mechanisms linking malnutrition with developmental impairments and assists in the elucidation of candidate biomarkers to identify individuals at risk of developmental shortfalls. As the metabolic profile represents a snapshot of the biochemical status of an individual at a given time, there is great potential to use this information to tailor interventional strategies specifically to the metabolic needs of the individual.

Nutritional assessment of resettled paediatric refugees in Western Australia

“…40 There is growing attention to prioritise obesity prevention in children to minimise longitudinal health and economic impacts. 15,[40][41][42] We demonstrated ethnic variation in diets and elevated proportions of overweight/obese, particularly in Middle Eastern refugees, which supports the need for targeted, accessible interventions focused on excess weight gain prevention in refugee children and adolescents. 39…”

“…Rapid escalations in BMI and obesity have been noted in paediatric refugees resettled in the USA, with the risk of future metabolic syndrome and early puberty highlighted . There is growing attention to prioritise obesity prevention in children to minimise longitudinal health and economic impacts . We demonstrated ethnic variation in diets and elevated proportions of overweight/obese, particularly in Middle Eastern refugees, which supports the need for targeted, accessible interventions focused on excess weight gain prevention in refugee children and adolescents…”

Exploration of the microbiota and metabolites within body fluids could pinpoint novel disease mechanisms

“…The measurement of all these microbial‐derived metabolites has been possible due to the recent advances in metabolic phenotyping. It is a systems biology approach that involves the measurement of global sets of metabolites (the metabolome, consisting of small molecules, generally < 1500 Da) within a biological system (metabolomics) and their variation in response to stimuli (metabonomics) . Metabolic profiles are the real‐end products of physiological regulatory processes, which are influenced by the upstream genomic, transcriptomic and proteomics events as well as environmental factors such as the gut microbiota and diet.…”

“…Each combination of analytical technique is suited for a certain fraction of metabolites. Therefore, they can complement each other to yield a wider metabolome coverage .…”

Oxidative Stress Markers Differ in Two Placental Dysfunction Pathologies: Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension and Intrauterine Growth Restriction

“…In foetuses with IUGR, there is a strong evidence of a higher level of uric acid level in cord vein blood [73] and alteration in the compound in urine of neonates [74]. Uric acid together with pseudouridine and allantoin are metabolites involved in nucleoside metabolism [75]. Its increase may be related to the hypoxia or ischaemia, together with intermittent perfusion in IUGR.…”