PhD defence: Wholegrain Intake and Children’s Health
The Impact of Wholegrain Intake on Growth, Cardiometabolic Markers and Gut Health from Infancy to Early Adolescence
Marie Terese Barlebo Madsen
PhD thesis
While wholegrain consumption has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and seems to improve gut health in adults, its effects on children's health and potential risk to their growth has been less explored. This thesis aimed to understand the impact of wholegrain intake on growth, body composition, cardiometabolic markers, and gut health in children from infancy to early adolescence.
The thesis included findings from two studies: an observational study involving 439 young Danish children and a randomized crossover study with 55 Danish schoolchildren. The results showed that a relative high number of young Danish children met the Danish wholegrain recommendation. In young children, wholegrain intake was linked to lowered plasma LDL-C but not with height or BMI. In schoolchildren, high wholegrain intake from oats and rye positively affected the lipid profile, but did not affect glucose homeostasis, blood pressure or inflammatory markers. Wholegrain intake influenced the gut microbiota and increased the production of bacteria-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) like butyrate, which correlated with reduced LDL-C levels. In the Danish schoolchildren, we also identified different gut microbial clusters at baseline, which affected the response to wholegrain intake. Schoolchildren with a more diverse gut microbiota with butyrate-producing capacity experienced a reduction in fat mass in response to wholegrain consumption.
In conclusion, this thesis emphasizes the beneficial impact of wholegrain intake, particularly from oats and rye, on children's health, especially concerning their lipid profile and gut microbiota. Future randomized studies should investigate the effects of wholegrain intake in pre-school children and explore additional mechanisms beyond SCFA.
2023, 182 pages.
Time
26 October 2023, 13:30
Place
Auditorium A2-81.01, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederikbserg C.
Opponents
Associate Professor Henrik Munch Roager (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Professor Anja Viendahl Olsen, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Denmark and Danish Cancer Institute, Danish Cancer Society, Denmark.
Professor Mary Fewtrell, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, United Kingdom.
Main supervisor
Associate Professor Camilla Trab Damsgaard, Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Co-supervisors
Professor Rikard Landberg, Department of Life Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.