Grant: Team Grant - India-Canada Collaborative Teams in Childhood Obesity Research

Globally, people of South Asian origin (people from the Indian subcontinent) are one of the highest risk groups for the development of type 2 diabetes. Accumulation of abdominal obesity among South Asians is common, and is associated with the development of increased glucose, abnormal lipids, and increased blood pressure. The predilection of South Asians to develop abdominal obesity may be influenced by pregnancy-related factors. The accumulation of body fat of the growing infant may be "programmed" during the development of the fetus during pregnancy. When the newborn leaves the in-utero environment and is exposed to a new environment, the interactions between the programmed newborns and the new environment influence the accumulation of adiposity during childhood. In order to understand the development of adiposity among South Asians, we propose to study detailed characteristics of the mothers, their offsprings, their household environments, as well as their genetic profiles. Specifically we propose to create three birth cohorts with 250 babies per cohort in Canada, in Bangalore city in India, and from rural regions outside Bangalore. The overarching objective of this study is to understand the effect of diverse environments on the development of adiposity among the growing offspring during the first three years of age.