AHEAD: How early-life diet shapes kids’ health and teeth
Official title: AHEAD: Adolescent Health and the EArly-life Dietary Exposome: Developing a Metabolomics-based Index of Healthy Eating to predict children's health trajectories
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11356836 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study will look at what kids eat and how it changes their health and teeth over time by using metabolomics to build a healthy-eating index for children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $471,123 |
| NIH project number | 1R21DE036066-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11356836 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include children and adolescents across age ranges (0-20s) whose caregivers are interested in monitoring diet quality and health trajectories.
✕Less likely to help
Children without access to ongoing dietary data collection or those not engaging with metabolomic sampling may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project follows children from early life to later ages to see how diet and environmental exposures relate to oral and overall health. Researchers will collect dietary data and biological samples to create a metabolomics-based index that reflects healthy versus cariogenic eating. The goal is to link diet quality with trajectories of dental caries, obesity, and related conditions, helping families understand which foods may support long-term health. The study emphasizes practical implications for everyday childhood nutrition and health planning.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to a simple tool to guide healthier eating in children and reduce future dental and metabolic problems.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows diet and metabolic signatures relate to health outcomes, though this exact metabolomics index for childhood diet is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Custodio-Lumsden, Christie Lauren — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Custodio-Lumsden, Christie Lauren
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.