Vitamin D and early-life risk of obesity and insulin resistance
Vitamin D and Development Origins of Obesity and Insulin Resistance
This project tests whether giving vitamin D during pregnancy helps prevent children from becoming obese or insulin-resistant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | St. Louis VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (St. Louis, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11264921 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We're studying whether low vitamin D during pregnancy can reprogram fetal immune and fat-cell development in ways that raise a child's risk of obesity and insulin resistance. The team combines analysis of samples from veterans and their offspring with laboratory mouse experiments to trace how prenatal vitamin D status changes genes, immune stem cells, and microRNA signals in fat tissue. They will test whether giving vitamin D before birth prevents those molecular changes and the later development of excess weight and metabolic problems. This mix of human sample work and animal models aims to show the biological steps that could be targeted to protect children.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would be people who are pregnant early in pregnancy—especially those with low vitamin D—or parents of young children born to veterans served by the VA.
Not a fit: Adults who already have established obesity or long-standing diabetes are unlikely to benefit from a prenatal-focused intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, prenatal vitamin D supplementation could reduce children's long-term risk of obesity, insulin resistance, and related cardiovascular problems.
How similar studies have performed: Animal studies show prenatal vitamin D deficiency can increase offspring obesity and metabolic risk, but direct human trials showing prenatal vitamin D prevents childhood obesity are limited and unclear.
Where this research is happening
St. Louis, UNITED STATES
- St. Louis VA Medical Center — St. Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bernal-Mizrachi, Carlos — St. Louis VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Bernal-Mizrachi, Carlos
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.