Small differences in the sugar composition of nutrition during the earliest stages of life can have long-lasting effects on metabolism, body weight and even lifespan.
This is the outcome of research by Peixin Sun
, who successfully defended his PhD on Wednesday 8 April at Wageningen University & Research. The study provides important leads for the prevention of obesity and other metabolic disorders in humans.
The global rise in obesity calls for effective preventive strategies. One of the most promising approaches is to optimise nutrition during critical developmental stages, such as early childhood. Breastfeeding plays an important role in this. A key component of breast milk is lactose, which is digested into glucose and galactose. Until now, little was known about the role of galactose in early development. The research by Peixin Sun, PhD candidate at the Chair Group Human and Animal Physiology at Wageningen University & Research, helps to fill this knowledge gap.
Galactose
In this PhD research, Sun investigated the long-term effects of galactose in early-life nutrition, using both mouse models and fruit flies. The findings show that galactose has various, strongly context-dependent effects on metabolism. Early-life exposure to galactose in mice led to subtle changes in hormonal and insulin signaling. In fruit flies, sex-specific effects on lifespan and lipid metabolism were observed.
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