Characterization of Infant Energy Balance to Support Healthy Early Growth
Official title: Characterization of Infant Energy Balance to Optimize Early Life Growth
Funded at Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr · NIH-11432566 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in healthy babies aims to map how infants’ energy intake and expenditure relate to growth to help prevent overweight in early childhood.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baton Rouge, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $731,916 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DK148893-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11432566 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Healthy infants aged 1 to 12 months and their families.
✕Less likely to help
Infants with certain medical conditions or feeding contraindications may not benefit from this study.
What this research studies
This project follows 100 healthy infants from 1 to 12 months of age to measure how much energy they take in and how much energy they burn in daily life. Researchers will use careful, infant-friendly methods to track intake and total daily energy expenditure, including activity levels and feeding patterns. They will also collect biomarkers like T3, leptin, and epinephrine, and observe developmental progress and feeding practices to understand drivers of rapid growth. The goal is to identify more accurate energy needs during a critical period of metabolism programming. Findings could guide better feeding guidance for parents and clinicians.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to more accurate feeding standards for infants, helping prevent overweight later in childhood.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has highlighted gaps in energy balance measurement in infancy; this study uses rigorous, gold-standard methods to improve understanding in a similar area.
Where this research is happening
-
Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
Baton Rouge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Flanagan, Emily W — Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
- Study coordinator: Flanagan, Emily W
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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.