Early-childhood nutrition's effects on adult DNA aging and telomeres
Adult epigenetics and telomere length in relation to improved nutrition in early life
This project looks at whether getting better nutrition during pregnancy and the first two years of life is linked to slower biological aging in adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261640 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be part of a long-term follow-up of people who were enrolled as children in a nutrition program in four Guatemalan villages from 1969–1977 to see if early feeding affects aging markers decades later. The team will extract DNA from frozen blood samples collected in 2015–2017 from 1,139 now-adult participants and measure DNA methylation patterns and telomere length. Adults who had full exposure to the intervention during the first 1,000 days (conception to age two) will be compared with those who had partial or no exposure. The researchers will relate those molecular markers to later-life health to understand persistent effects of early nutrition.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults who took part as infants or young children in the original Guatemala nutrition trial (born around 1969–1977) or people enrolled in comparable first-1,000-days cohorts.
Not a fit: People who were not part of the original cohort or whose early-life nutrition did not vary with the intervention are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this analysis.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show that improving nutrition in early life reduces molecular signs of aging and support nutrition programs to lower age-related disease risk.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies, including work on the Dutch famine and earlier analyses of the Guatemala trial, have linked early-life nutrition to lasting epigenetic changes and later disease risk, but large-scale links to adult DNA methylation and telomere length remain being clarified.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stein, Aryeh David — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Stein, Aryeh David
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 below.