News Archive

Genetic studies in I.Family

Jaako KaprioBoth genes and the environment (such as diet and other lifestyle factors) act together to influence our body composition, both our overall lean and fat mass, but also where on the body the fat mass is located.

For decades we have known that the degree of adiposity (i.e. amount of fat tissue) and its distribution runs in families. However, it has not been easy to distinguish between genetic and non-genetic contributions to family similarities. At the same time,  increases in average weight and rates of obesity, in particular among children in Europe, show that changes in the environment must be driving the obesity epidemic as our gene pool does not change that rapidly. Family studies have shown that some families and individuals are more susceptible to the obesogenic environment, as children from families with overweight or obese parents are more likely to become overweight or obese.

Since 2007, genetic studies of increasing size using  unrelated individuals have examined genetic differences associated with BMI, regional adiposity and obesity.; these genome-wide association studies examine differences in gene variant frequencies across all genes in the human genome.  In February 2015, two very large studies on BMI and regional adiposity reported in Nature the latest findings from  these extensive international collaborations on the genetics of obesity. For BMI nearly 100 genetic variants are now known, of which many are active in the regulation of appetite and food intake. These genetic variants, come in at least two forms or alleles, one of which is associated with higher BMI; these  can be determined in I.Family participants, which enables researchers to conduct more precise studies of which environments are most supportive for obesity prevention among those at high genetic risk of developing overweight or obesity.  The so-called ”polygenic risk score”, reflecting the sum of risk alleles, is an important tool for understanding how genes and environments interact in the development of obesity.

We can also study children in I.Family who are genetically at high risk of obesity but of normal weight to see which environmental factors protect them.

Dr Jaakko Kaprio, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki

Adolescent mass media usage: does the frequency and type of mass media device influence well-being?

Michael TornaritisAdolescent internet usage has grown exponentially in the last decade with pathologies now being described including “Problematic Internet Use (PIU)” or “Compulsive Internet Use”. Although not listed in the latest DSM manual (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) commonly used by psychiatrists, Internet gaming disorder is listed in the appendix as requiring further investigation.

Researchers have begun to explore the effects of internet use on psychosocial and emotional well-being with several trends beginning to emerge linking frequency of use to depression, social isolation, social self-esteem and well-being; with contradictory findings however, depending on sample size and assessment techniques. The I.Family study assessing children and adolescents from eight European countries using the same measures and protocols is valuable in identifying beneficial and detrimental effects of mass media device usage on today’s youth.  The following research findings are based on 3969 adolescents between the ages of 12-17 partaking in the I.Family survey. The evaluation consisted of anthropometric measurements, blood lipid levels, self-report questionnaires assessing frequency of mass media usage and well-being.

Across all eight countries only 4.5% of males and 3.0% of females reported having no media device in their bedroom. The most frequently found devices are mobile phone, computer with internet access and tablet PC respectively. Adolescent males who use the internet for more than 3 hours/day have lower well-being scores including emotional well-being and family relationships. The same applies for females who additionally have lower self-esteem scores with high internet use. Physical indices are also affected; females who use the internet for more than 3 hours/day have higher waist circumference, BMI, body fat while males have higher triglyceride levels. Multiple regression analyses show Internet usage to be the greatest predictor of adolescent well-being, more so than BMI, television or game console use.

The Internet has become a way of life for today’s youth, impacting both mental and physical well-being. It is therefore of paramount importance that correct and appropriate usage be taught and emphasized.

Dr. Michael Tornaritis (Research and Education Institute of Child Health, Strovolos/Cyprus)

What you see is what you eat: how children’s brains react to the sight of food

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Why do some children become overweight while others don’t?  That is one of the main questions within the I.Family project. How children’s brain reacts to food cues might give us some insight into that.

Imagine walking down the main street of any city. What do you see around you? Maybe a chain-clothing store, a department store, and: a bakery, an ice cream shop, a fast-food place, a café, a supermarket… in short: a lot of places where you can see, smell and buy food. Imagine being in a railway station, again: food is all around. What happens to you when you are constantly confronted with all these food cues? Do you give in and buy something to eat? Or can you resist temptation?

Decisions on when, what and how much to eat are taken in the brain. There all the relevant information is integrated: how hungry you are, how much you like the food you see, whether you want to lose weight etc. People differ in how their brain reacts to food cues. Research has shown that these differences can predict the chance people have of making unhealthy food choices and gaining weight.

Quite some studies have been done on how adults’ brains react to food cues, but not so many in children. In a recently published meta-analysis (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25285373) we examined all studies done in children, and compared them with those done in adults. To measure brain activation, a specific type of MRI scan was used, called functional MRI (fMRI). With fMRI you can see which areas of the brain become active by seeing where the oxygen-rich blood is going, which is a indirect measure of activation. In all these studies included in the analysis, brain activation was measured with fMRI while participants viewed pictures of food. Our meta-analysis showed that children activated mostly the same areas as adults when looking at food. We mostly found areas that are part of the appetitive brain network, and areas involved in visual attention.  This suggests that children might not activate areas important for cognitive control, which means that it might be harder for them to resist temptation when they see foods. We already knew that inhibition gets better with age, as the brain matures, but now there are suggestions that food-specific inhibition might be less developed in children as well.

So however hard it might be for us to resist temptation and leave all those yummy, ready-available foods: this might be even harder for children. For some of them this might even be nearly impossible. And yet a lot of food marketing is directly targeting children. Think of cereal commercials and packaging with cartoon animals, or a free toy with a hamburger meal at a fast food restaurant. If children are more vulnerable to food temptations we should be helping them to resist these, and to build their resolve to make healthy food choices. I think we should not allow children to be seduced by companies marketing unhealthy foods, and that stricter policies for food marketing targeting children should be put in place.

Floor van Meer, PhD candidate, UMC Utrecht

 

What is autonomy and why does it matter?

LANCASTER UNIVERSITYWhat is autonomy?

In its simplest sense, autonomy is about a person’s ability to act on his or her own values and interests. Taken from ancient Greek, the word means ‘self-legislation’ or ‘self-governance.’ Modern political thought and bioethics often stress that individual autonomy should be promoted and respected. But it can be difficult to pin down exactly what autonomy means and why it matters.

Looked at psychologically, autonomy is made up of a set of skills and attitudes. Relevant skills include the ability to reason, to appreciate different points of view, and to debate with others. In order to do these things, the autonomous person must have a sense of self-worth and self-respect. Self-knowledge is also important, including a well-developed understanding of what matters to him or her.

Some social circumstances can help us be more autonomous, and others can undermine autonomy. To develop these abilities and attitudes, a person needs the opportunity to consider meaningful alternatives, both opportunities for action and ways of thinking about what matters. This depends on dialogue between persons: we often learn about ourselves through others’ responses; it is easier to reconsider our values when we hear other people’s reasons and encounter other ways of looking at the world.

By contrast, oppressive social attitudes, rigid social hierarchies and lack of meaningful choices make it harder to develop autonomy and to act on our own interests and values.

Why does autonomy matter to this project?

The aim of the I.Family study is to better understand the interactions between children and their environment, their health behaviours and their individual development. A key concern, then, is how children learn to make choices and how decision-making skills develop as children become adults. Especially when we think about health, people’s interests often conflict with the priorities of powerful commercial actors. We want our children to grow up with the capacities they need to choose well, to stand up for themselves, and to lead lives that are meaningful and worthwhile.

How can we support and enhance young people’s developing capacity for autonomy? Parents and educators obviously play an important role, and we need to ask how they can be supported and enabled. Companies have powerful motives to encourage children’s consumption. Unfortunately, their marketing often stimulates wants that go against children’s health and other interests. How we can help children become media-savvy, and how can companies be led to act more responsibly?

Reflecting its root meaning, autonomy is often considered to be an individual matter. In fact, it develops in our relations with others. Children are members of families, schools, and a wider society. All can play a role in encouraging children’s capacity to choose well for themselves. And all have a responsibility to challenge factors that undermine children’s autonomy.

 

Faye Tucker, I.Family researcher, University of Lancaster

Can the healthy choice be the easy choice?

Wolfgang Ahrens

Prof Wolfgang Ahrens, Coordinator of I Family asks…

The living environment, social conditions, economic pressures and the corresponding lifestyle of families have changed enormously over recent decades. Often both parents are working and the time spent together with their children is limited. Self-prepared meals from local ingredients made according to traditional recipes are replaced by fast and ready-made foods. How can I Family contribute to making the healthy choice the easy choice?

Concerns about safety on the streets combined with limited availability of supervised play spaces means parents are reluctant to encourage outdoor play or independent commuting to school. Children and adolescents are exposed to TV programmes 24/7 and spend increasing time playing computer games, partly simulating movement and speed while actually sitting still. All this happens at the expense of their physical activity.

These changes profoundly impact children’s health, particularly those in the most vulnerable groups in our society. More and more are obese, experience metabolic disorders and are affected by psychological problems. Many of these disorders track into adulthood making heavy demands on our health and social care budgets.

Action is clearly needed, but the truth is there is no simple solution to this problem. There are complex factors at play and the interplay between them is often tricky to unravel. Through the I Family study, we are investigating the mechanisms by which environmental factors, lifestyle behaviours and the intrinsic characteristics of individuals act together in the development of children’s health problems.

Only a better understanding of the complex interplay of these factors will enable us to take the necessary action across Europe to support optimal health in childhood and into and throughout adulthood.

I Family is unique as it builds on an existing cohort of more than 16,000 children below the age of ten from eight European countries. These children were voluntarily examined five years ago when they provided details about their diet, lifestyle and physical activity behaviour. Now these children are being examined again so we can assess how healthy they are at present, together with their siblings and parents.

This new assessment will allow us to track how these children have developed, which groups/individuals did particularly well and which did not. By comparing these groups of children, we expect to identify factors that are particularly important for healthy development.

With this new knowledge, our aim in I Family is to contribute to the effectiveness of policies and interventions that will improve living conditions in our societies, and deliver an environment for children and adults that does make the healthy choice the easy choice.”

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ahrens is professor for epidemiological methods at UNIHB. His research activities centre on the aetiology of cancer, focusing on environmental factors and occupational exposures, and the research to the aetiology of lifestyle related disorders as well as to primary prevention and evaluation.

First Posted: 29 June 2012

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