Gothenburg researchers aim to discover new methods for treatment of childhood obesity

By studying intestinal flora in newborn children, Professor Fredrik Bäckhed and his team of researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, aim to discover new methods to treat childhood obesity. The researchers will use a SEK 30.8 million grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation to determine whether intestinal bacteria from non-obese children can be used to develop new treatments.

The proportion of Swedish children who are overweight or obese has risen from 5% in 1988 to 21% in 2004, with no end to this increase in sight. Fattier foods, lack of exercise and genetic predisposition have been identified as causes of the obesity epidemic. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, are on the trail of an additional cause.

Professor Bäckhed and his team have received a SEK 30.8 million grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation to conduct a project that will study intestinal flora in newborn children. The long-term purpose of the project is to discover new methods of controlling childhood obesity.

A number of widely acclaimed studies by the researchers have shown that obesity is related to the composition of intestinal flora. The team will collaborate with Associate Professor Jovanna Dahlgren at the Göteborg Pediatric Growth Research Center to study the intestinal flora of newborn children in Halmstad. The focus will be on the growth and development of flora during the first year of life and possible links to obesity risks.

"We already know that intestinal flora imbalance contributes to a number of serious conditions in adults, " Professor Bäckhed says, "including obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. Our hypothesis is that it can also increase the risk of childhood obesity.

 "The grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation presents us with unprecedented opportunities. Our long-term goal is that intestinal flora can serve as a biomarker for early detection of childhood obesity risks."

The researchers will also try to isolate intestinal bacteria from non-obese children as a means of determining whether these bacteria can be used to develop new prevention strategies.

"Children with obesity are very likely to be overweight as adults," Professor Bäckhed says, "which exposes them to greater risks of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. With that in mind, childhood obesity is a high priority social and public health issue."