'Development and evaluation of biomarkers of infant nutrition, growth and body composition'

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We know that not only the conditions babies experience in the womb (in-utero) but also their nutrition in early life affects their growth and influences later childhood and adult weight gain. We aim to look for early markers of different babies‘ growth and body composition, reflecting in-utero exposures and nutrition after birth. Our project aims to identify these markers in blood. We will use different methods to look for these markers, including standard hormonal assay techniques, and newer methods looking at metabolic pathways.The project will use data from babies in the Cambridge Baby Growth Study cohort, (2001-2008). These babies have had several growth measurements taken, including weight, height and skinfold thicknesses, up until 2 years of age. Many of them have had blood taken, which we can use and match to different growth patterns. We will also aim to recruit new babies, focussing on those born to mothers with Diabetes. Understanding the markers of babies‘ growth will have great scientific and public implications, focussing on improving the health outcomes for the population. It will identify and predict how babies grow, risks for later obesity and the possibility of adapting early nutrition and feeding patterns in those at high risk.