Compared with normal-weight children, obese youth have a higher chance of developing diseases like Type 2 diabetes. With 1 in 4 Australian children now being overweight or obese, effective treatment programs need to be developed alongside those aimed at prevention. This program of research aims to identify which overweight/obese children are most likely to develop diabetes, with a particular focus on how infant nutrition regulates important growth factors to alter long-term diabetes risk.
Perinatal And Intergenerational Influences On Adult Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$438,520.00
Summary
The aim of this project is to determine the effects of restriction of nutrient supply before and after birth on growth and the development of adult onset diabetes. Being born small and its associated neonatal catch-up growth independently predict adult diabetes. Placental restriction is a major cause of reduced nutrition and growth before birth and is implicated in this programming of disease. Our novel findings suggest that placental compromise increases appetite but also impairs milk quality a ....The aim of this project is to determine the effects of restriction of nutrient supply before and after birth on growth and the development of adult onset diabetes. Being born small and its associated neonatal catch-up growth independently predict adult diabetes. Placental restriction is a major cause of reduced nutrition and growth before birth and is implicated in this programming of disease. Our novel findings suggest that placental compromise increases appetite but also impairs milk quality and supply which limits overfeeding and catch-up growth initially, but on weaning, may independently lead to diabetes. We will determine if this is a direct result of poor nutrition and made worse by overfeeding in response to restored nutrition. We hypothesize that placental compromise permanently reduces an individual's metabolic capacity and that the extent of availability of nutrition after birth determines the consequences for insulin action and increased body fat. Manipulations of postnatal nutrition (by cross-fostering) and fat oxidation will be performed, which are pivotal to understanding the roles of catch-up growth and increased food intake in disease onset. We have found that cross-fostering small rat pups at birth onto mothers with normal lactation improves growth during lactation. The proposed studies will establish the cross-fostering effect on the development of diabetes and identify a developmental stage during which nutritional or other manipulations may have beneficial consequences for the health of the breastfeeding small infant. We propose to determine whether adult females, exposed to placental restriction as a fetus, produce offspring that develop diabetes, and establish whether this effect is caused by programming before conception and-or an altered fetal environment. Identification of critical periods after birth, rather than before, would offer a greater likelihood that practical public health interventions can be developed to improve adult health.Read moreRead less
Intervention To Reduce The Risk Of Diabetic Retinopathy And Early Adverse Retinal Changes In Type 1 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,294,846.00
Summary
The long term effects of young onset T1D may be devastating: diabetes is the leading cause of visual loss in young adults in Australia and other countries. We have the unique opportunity to investigate whether ACEI and statins will modify retinopathy through our collaboration with an already funded international multicentre trial. This study will treat adolescents for 4 years and will follow them for the next 5-10 years. We will use novel measures of retinal blood vessels size and fractals.
Early Origins, Progression And Aetiology Of Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome And Diabetes: A 30 Years Follow-up Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,194,979.00
Summary
This research proposal aims to use the unique existing Mater University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) and its offspring data and conduct a 30-year follow-up of MUSP children to investigate the early origins, progression and causal pathways of obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes for young Australian. Findings of this study will extend our understanding of the factors driving these health problems with the ultimate aim of being able to reverse the obesity epidemic and improve public health.
Attracting, preparing, and sustaining quality teachers in early education. This project aims to address the chronic shortage of early childhood teachers in Australia, which is compromising quality and return on investment in early education. The project expects to generate new understandings about this specialist teacher workforce through an innovative, ecological, longitudinal design that will track early childhood teachers’ career trajectories and develop a world-first tool to assess early chi ....Attracting, preparing, and sustaining quality teachers in early education. This project aims to address the chronic shortage of early childhood teachers in Australia, which is compromising quality and return on investment in early education. The project expects to generate new understandings about this specialist teacher workforce through an innovative, ecological, longitudinal design that will track early childhood teachers’ career trajectories and develop a world-first tool to assess early childhood teacher quality. Findings are expected to inform policy— including the Australian Government-endorsed 10-year national Workforce Strategy and the Australian Government's Early Years Strategy— to support the future sustained supply of a quality early childhood teacher workforce and improve outcomes for young children.Read moreRead less
Lifecourse Investigation Of Obesity And Adverse Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes: A Pooled Analysis Of Cohort Studies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,278.00
Summary
Obesity cost Australia over $58 billion in 2008 alone. We are yet to identify any effective preventive strategies. Limited existing data suggests childhood factors (e.g., obesity) may have a long-term impact on health outcomes. The proposed study will examine the link between childhood factors and cardiovascular disease risk in adulthood in 4 studies that have collected biological and lifestyle factors from childhood to adulthood. This will lead to better understanding of such complex diseases.