Our recent publication from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) has shown that early lifestyle changes, including diet and physical activity interventions during childhood and adolescence, can have long-term effects on metabolism. Metabolomics analysis of The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study revealed 80 metabolites linked to key metabolic processes, such as lipid metabolism and inflammation.
Notably, 17 of these metabolites remained altered even eight years after the initial intervention, suggesting that early changes may contribute to reduced risks for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A particularly interesting group of metabolites were fatty amides, that were among the altered compounds.
The findings were published in iScience:
Iman Zarei, Aino-Maija Eloranta, Anton Klåvus, Juuso Väistö, Marko Lehtonen, Santtu Mikkonen, Ville M. Koistinen, Taisa Sallinen, Eero A. Haapala, Niina Lintu, Sonja Soininen, Retu Haikonen, Mustafa Atalay, Ursula Schwab, Seppo Auriola, Marjukka Kolehmainen, Kati Hanhineva, Timo A. Lakka, Eight-year diet and physical activity intervention affects serum metabolites during childhood and adolescence: A nonrandomized controlled trial. iScience, Volume 27, Issue 7, 110295, ISSN 2589-0042, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.110295