Scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have found that molecular signs of increased risk for heart disease, kidney disease and metabolic disorders can appear in children as young as eight years old. The findings were published in the journal Nature Metabolism.
Researchers identified characteristic protein profiles in children's blood that, in adulthood, are linked to heart attacks and other illnesses. The team analyzed roughly 5,000 proteins in the blood of 273 children and identified six distinct protein profiles associated with elevated disease risk.
Matching patterns found in adults
The researchers found similar protein changes in 685 adults from the same population who had a high risk of developing cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic diseases. That overlap suggested the childhood signals were not a coincidence but an early version of patterns seen later in life.
To confirm the link, the scientists checked their results against data from more than 28,000 adults in the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database used widely in health research. People with similar protein profiles in that larger group also had a higher risk of heart attacks and other adverse health outcomes.
Some changes proved reversible
Not all of the changes were permanent. Among adults taking GLP-1 class drugs, a category of medication also used for diabetes and weight management, most of the proteins linked to high disease risk shifted in a favorable direction.
The study's authors said this reversibility could matter most for children. If dangerous changes are identified early enough, they said, it may become possible to intervene long before the disease itself develops.
Not yet part of routine screening
The researchers believe their findings could form the basis for earlier identification of children at heightened risk of chronic disease. For now, however, this kind of protein analysis is not part of standard pediatric screening.
The study adds to a growing body of research on early indicators of heart disease. Scientists have previously found that shifting the usual timing of meals on weekends may raise the risk of heart problems.
