# Longitudinal Change in Obesity during Childhood and Adult Cardiometabolic Risk

> **NIH NIH P20** · TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · 2020 · $216,474

## Abstract

Project Summary (Project 5)
The overall objective of the proposed study is to test the following hypotheses: longitudinal change in obesity
during childhood, enhanced by low birth weight for gestational age, is (race- and sex-specifically) associated
with adult cardiometabolic risk, and metabolomic profiles independently predict cardiometabolic risk and
mediate the associations between longitudinal change in obesity during childhood and adult cardiometabolic
risk. This objective will be achieved by 3 Specific Aims: 1) examine the (race- and sex-specific) associations of
longitudinal change in obesity during childhood, independently and in combination with low birth weight for
gestational age, with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in
middle age; 2) examine the (race- and sex-specific) associations of longitudinal change in obesity during
childhood, independently and in combination with low birth weight for gestational age, with subclinical
measures of arterial and cardiac structure/function in middle age; and 3) identify novel metabolites profiled by
state-of-the-art metabolomic technologies that predict progression of subclinical atherosclerosis, and test
whether these metabolites mediate the associations between longitudinal changes in obesity during childhood
and progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in middle age. These specific aims will be examined in 2,100
participants (420 participants for Specific Aim 3) whose cardiometabolic risk factors have been well
characterized since early childhood, from the ongoing Bogalusa Heart Study. Findings from the proposed
study will provide new insights into the early life origins of adult cardiometabolic risk, identify new metabolic
pathways and offer new intervention/treatment strategies for cardiometabolic diseases in adults. Ongoing
research projects in the Bogalusa Heart Study cohort, supported by peer-reviewed NIH grants, make
the proposed project very cost-efficient. The COBRE will provide funding and protected time for the junior
investigator to extend his research to metabolomics, a promising research front for cardiometabolic diseases
and accumulate pilot data and publications for future R01 applications. In addition, the outstanding mentor
team will greatly facilitate the junior investigator's smooth transition to research independence.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9930648
- **Project number:** 5P20GM109036-05
- **Recipient organization:** TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
- **Principal Investigator:** Shengxu Li
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $216,474
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → 2022-07-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9930648

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9930648, Longitudinal Change in Obesity during Childhood and Adult Cardiometabolic Risk (5P20GM109036-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9930648. Licensed CC0.

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