Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Type 2 diabetes in children and youth is on the rise, largely due to increased rates of obesity and unhealthy lifestyle. Prediabetes is defined as abnormal blood sugar levels associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and it affects one in every six overweight adolescents. Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents are serious conditions which are poorly understood, which limits the development of effective preventive strategies. We aim to study the influence of mothers' diet during pregnancy and childhood dietary quality on adolescent prediabetes and future risk of developing diabetes. Project Viva is a unique study including over 1000 mother-child pairs for whom data is available during pregnancy, at birth, during infancy (6 months), at early childhood (3 years), mid-childhood (8 years), and early adolescence (13 years). Data was collected in both mothers and children and include: lifestyle (detailed dietary information, physical activity and sleep), metabolic profile based on collected blood samples, socio-demographic data (income, education, etc.) and body weight. This project will allow us to gain a comprehensive understanding on the role of diet, both before and after birth, in the risk of diabetes in adolescents. Diabetes in the pediatric population is a growing public health concern because they carry the burden of diabetes for many more years, leading to greater risk of complications and at an earlier stage of life. Identifying individuals at greater risk for life-long diabetes at an earlier stage could contribute to the development of efficient preventive strategies.