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NIH Awards ACNC Team $1.6 Million to Study How Mom’s Weight Affects Newborn’s Chance of Obesity

Publication Date: Monday, September 14, 2009

LITTLE ROCK, AR. (Sept. 14, 2009) –  Researchers at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) are examining how a mother’s weight at conception may predispose her child to a life of obesity with a $1.6 million grant recently awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The grant – funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, an institute of the NIH – will cover the four-part study over five years. The scientists are interested in finding out if the actions of the hormone insulin in a newborn are different if his mother is overweight.

Researchers believe that insulin behaves oddly in infants whose mothers are above normal weight range, leading to a greater deposition of fat rather than muscle as the child develops. The theory is that this interaction affects how quickly the children can burn off calories as they grow. Other factors such as palatable high fat diets and reduced physical activity may further impair insulin action.

The researchers, who are affiliated with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), will also look at whether increased physical activity in overweight pregnant women might reduce the risk of obesity in their babies.

 “We already know that a mother’s weight during pregnancy can have long-term effects on her baby’s health,” said Kartik Shankar, PhD, DABT, lead investigator of the study for ACNC and an Assistant Professor in the department of Pediatrics at UAMS. “Now we’re hoping to find out the underlying mechanisms and whether altered insulin-signaling is one critical trigger.”

A study conducted two years ago at ACNC showed that a fetus that develops in an overweight mother can face a cycle of weight gain and increasing body fat throughout life. The study, “Maternal Obesity at Conception Programs Obesity in the Offspring,” was published in the American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital is the only pediatric medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States serving children from birth to age 21. The campus spans 28 city blocks and houses 316 beds, a staff of approximately 500 physicians, 80 residents in pediatrics and pediatric specialties and more than 4,000 employees. The private, nonprofit healthcare facility boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking medical research - all dedicated to fulfilling our mission of enhancing, sustaining and restoring children's health and development. ACH recently ranked No. 85 on FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®. For more information, visit www.archildrens.org.

ACHRI provides a research environment on the ACH campus to meet the needs of the UAMS faculty.  Research scientists at ACHRI conduct clinical, basic science, and health services research for the purpose of treating illnesses, preventing disease and improving the health of children everywhere.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a new 540,000-square-foot hospital, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,652 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.eduor www.uamshealth.com.

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