N&G 2022 Best Abstract Awards in two categories: Neonatology/Infancy and Obesity

We are pleased to present the N&G 2022 Best Abstract Awards. The N&G award recognizes young physicians for their work in two categories: Neonatology/Infancy and Obesity. The awards are supported by an educational grant from the Nestlé Nutrition Institute for the best abstracts submitted to 9^th International Conference on Nutrition & Growth.

The award recipients, selected by the N&G scientific committee,  will be presented during the Opening Address. Each abstract will receive a €5,000 prize.

Join us in congratulating the winners:

The Obesity Best N&G Research Award

Winner: Dr. Inge van Beijsterveldt

Affiliation: MD and PhD-fellow at Erasmus University Medical center –  Sophia children’s hospital, subdivision of endocrinology, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract title: DISTINCT INFANT FEEDING TYPE-SPECIFIC PLASMA METABOLITES AT AGE 3 MONTHS ASSOCIATE WITH BODY COMPOSITION AT 2 YEARS

Early life is a critical window for adiposity programming and the metabolic profile may affect this. The aim of this study was to investigate if plasma metabolites at age 3 months were associated with fat mass, fat free mass, measured by DXA, and abdominal visceral fat outcomes at age 2 years in healthy infants, included in the Sophia Pluto cohort, and if these associations were modified by exclusive breastfeeding or exclusive formula feeding.

We identified multiple distinct plasma metabolites, including several classes of lyso-phospholipids, that were associated with high total body fat en visceral fat outcomes. These associations were predominantly found in infants with exclusive breastfeeding, in contrast to infants with exclusive formula feeding. Suggesting that associations between plasma metabolite levels in infancy and high body fat at age 2 years were dependent on infant feeding type. These findings contribute to our insight into the importance of infant feeding on adiposity programming in early life and could potentially contribute to more targeted and individualized preventive strategies and early treatment options for childhood obesity.

Introduction

Inge van Beijsterveldt is a MD and PhD-fellow at Erasmus University Medical center –  Sophia children’s hospital, subdivision of endocrinology, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She is part of the research group conducting the Sophia Pluto study; a large prospective birth cohort study focusing on growth and body composition trajectories of children aged 0-5 years in the Rotterdam area, The Netherlands.  Furthermore, she is part of the BioFN project, an international consortium studying early biomarkers in adiposity programming, which resulted in this paper.

Inge particularly investigates methods to measure body composition in young children and early determinants of adiposity programming.

The Neonatal & Prematurity Best N&G Research Award

Winner: Dr. Lieke van den Elsen

Affiliation: Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia, Australia
Honorary Research Associate, Telethon Kids Institute, Australia

Abstract title: DIET AT BIRTH IS CRITICAL TO IGNITE THE POSTNATAL SOMATOTROPIC AXIS, ENSURING HEALTHY GROWTH INDEPENDENT OF THE MICROBIOTA

Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are due to undernutrition. This clearly highlights the need to identify interventions to promote healthy growth. The diet at birth, more specifically colostrum, may play a significant role in achieving this goal as it is rich in protein, immune and growth factors. Colostrum also has the potential to shape the establishing gut microbiota due to its abundance in oligosaccharides and antimicrobial factors. As there is a worldwide lack of colostrum intake, this preclinical work aimed to establish the importance of the early diet for infant growth. Our data reveal that, in mice, colostrum deprivation led to profound growth retardation and abnormal fat tissue development. While we observed differences in gut microbiota diversity and composition, colostrum ensured healthy growth independent of the microbiota. Lack of colostrum induced systemic inflammation and growth hormone resistance with high levels of circulating growth hormone and low levels of insulin-like growth factor-1. The finding that colostrum allows the somatotropic axis to drive systemic growth, independent of its impact on the establishing microbiota, has important implications for the prevention of malnutrition.

Introduction

Dr Lieke van den Elsen is a translational researcher with expertise in the role of early life nutrition in immune development and disease prevention. She completed her PhD project in the laboratory of Professor Johan Garssen at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. This translational project focussed on the impact of fish oil on the prevention of food allergy in infants of the Salmon in Pregnancy Study and animal models. In 2013, Lieke started at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in New Zealand to study the role of the gut microbiota and the beneficial effects of dietary components such as pre- and probiotics in early life for optimal immune development. Since 2018 Lieke is working in the team of Professor Valerie Verhasselt at the University of Western Australia in Perth to investigate the impact of early breastfeeding practice on healthy growth and immune homeostasis in early life. She is also associated as a Research Fellow with the Africa Research & Engagement Centre with her work on malaria antigens in human milk. Her research has resulted in 20 peer-reviewed publications of which 14 as a first author, including publications in leading journals such as JAMA Pediatrics and JACI. Lieke is also a Special Issue Editor for the ‘Early-Life Nutrition and Metabolic Disorders in Later Life’ issue in Nutrients.