MARCO · MetAbolomics in pRecision Childhood nutritiOn: a way for precision nutrition?

The high prevalence of childhood obesity in several parts of the world indicates a worrying future health scenario, making preventiona high priority. This prevention should focus on diet and physical activity. Regarding food, the beginning of establishing eating habitsand preferences occurs in childhood, being necessary that this prevention and treatment is individualized. In this context, precisionnutrition offers a new paradigm for health, where the focus is to prevention and treatment strategies based on an individual's uniquecharacteristics. Metabolomics (which is in the omics group - transcriptomics, genomics and proteomics) is being considered animportant aspect in precision nutrition, reflecting more realistically effect of food on health and disease. Therefore, the aim of thisproject is to identify, the metabolomic profile in children aged 3-6 years, and through a longitudinal intervention, if eating behaviourand physical inactivity modify the profile of metabolites that can lead to obesity. The data for this proposal will be derived from amulticenter, parallel, randomized and controlled clinical trial that will be carried out with a cohort of children, followed initially by oneyear of intervention, with the intention of 10 years in total. The intervention will be based on healthy eating and physical activity.Metabolomics data, anthropometric, dietary, socioeconomic, behavioural, metabolic, biochemical and food environment variableswill be collected. Similar studies to this are not available in the literature, and have the potential to increase knowledge aboutnutritional metabolomics, especially in early childhood and serve as a database for other studies with this population. This can reducechildhood obesity, minimize nutritional and metabolic risks in childhood and reduce the economic, environmental and social impactthis disease.