# Proteomic and integrative omic profiles of sugar- and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and changes in type 2 diabetes risk factors

> **NIH NIH K01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2024 · $158,220

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is caused both by genetic and environmental factors, such as diet, as well as the
complex interactions between them. While diet is the cornerstone for T2D prevention, dietary interventions are
often difficult to implement and monitor due to limitations in dietary assessment techniques and strategies to
produce dietary changes. Despite efforts to reduce SSB consumption, SSBs remain the largest single source
of added sugar in the US. SSB consumption has been linked to a higher risk of T2D and related risk factors,
but the underlying biological mechanisms are not completely understood. Proteomic profiling and multi-omic
integration allow for more detailed phenotyping that may provide a broader view of diet-associated metabolic
changes and their functional interpretation. Examination of plasma proteomic and integrative omic profiles that
reflect SSB intake and a common alternative beverage, artificially sweetened beverages (ASB), may enhance
current dietary assessment methods and unveil novel biological pathways linking diet to T2D and related risk
factors through identification of novel dietary biomarkers.
 Discovery of plasma proteomic and multi-omic profiles of SSB and ASB consumption has immense
potential to provide an objective assessment of individual beverage intake and enable informed beverage
choices, which is in line with the precision nutrition approaches emphasized in the National Institute of Health’s
(NIH) 10-year strategic plan. This proposal cost-effectively leverages existing proteomics profiling among the
Nurses’ Health Study II and Health Professionals Follow-up Study cohorts (n=648). It also examines repeated
assays in the ongoing NIH-funded SUBstituting with Preferred OPtions trial, a randomized parallel-arm 6-
month beverage trial testing the effects of substituting SSBs with ASB or water among daily SSB consumers.
We will utilize proteomic and multi-omic network and machine learning analyses to identify discriminatory
profiles between SSB and ASB consumption levels and evaluate the associations of these profiles with T2D
risk factors. The central hypothesis is that distinct proteomic and omic profiles reflect habitual SSB or ASB
intake and that changes in their omic biomarkers are associated with changes in T2D risk factors, revealing
novel biomarkers of beverage consumption and biological pathways modified by beverage consumption. This
K01 career development award expands on the applicant’s experience in nutritional epidemiology, omics, and
biostatistics to gain proficiency in the design and management of intervention studies, implementation of
cutting-edge multi-omic statistical analysis techniques, and scientific leadership for precision nutrition
applications for T2D prevention. With mentorship from a renowned multidisciplinary research team, the
applicant will gain the crucial skills necessary to advance T2D prevention and refine a framework for the
utilization of innovative multi-omi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10910142
- **Project number:** 5K01DK136968-02
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Danielle Haslam
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $158,220
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10910142

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10910142, Proteomic and integrative omic profiles of sugar- and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and changes in type 2 diabetes risk factors (5K01DK136968-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10910142. Licensed CC0.

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