Distribution of energy and macronutrient intakes across eating occasions in European children from 3 to 8 years of age: The EU Childhood Obesity Project Study.

Purpose: We aimed to characterize the distribution of energy and macronutrient intakes across eating occasions (EO) in European children from preschool to school age.

Methods: Data from 3-day weighed food records were collected from children at ages 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 years from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain. Food intakes were assigned to EO based on country-specific daytimes for breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks (morning, afternoon).

Sleep duration and problem behaviour in 8-year-old children in the Childhood Obesity Project.

There is growing evidence that insufficient sleep has negative effects on the mental health of children. The aim of this study is to examine the associations between device-measured sleep duration and internalizing and externalizing problems in 8-year-old children. The study is a secondary analysis of data from the Childhood Obesity Project conducted in five European countries.

Influence of total sugar intake on metabolic blood markers at 8 years of age in the Childhood Obesity Project.

Purpose: We aimed to characterize the association of dietary sugar intake with blood lipids and glucose-related markers in childhood.

Methods: Data from the multicentric European Childhood Obesity Project Trial were used. Three-day weighed dietary records were obtained at 8 years of age along with serum concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), glucose, and insulin.

Commercial complementary food use amongst European infants and children: results from the EU Childhood Obesity Project.

Purpose: The objective of this secondary analysis is to describe the types of commercial complementary foods (CCF) consumed by infants and young children enrolled in the European Childhood Obesity Project (CHOP), to describe the contribution of CCF to dietary energy intakes and to determine factors associated with CCF use over the first 2 years of life.

Methods: The CHOP trial is a multicenter intervention trial in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Spain that tested the effect of varying levels of protein in infant formula on the risk for childhood obesity. Infants were recruited from October 2002 to June 2004.

An individual participant data meta-analysis on metabolomics profiles for obesity and insulin resistance in European children.

Childhood obesity prevalence is rising in countries worldwide. A variety of etiologic factors contribute to childhood obesity but little is known about underlying biochemical mechanisms. We performed an individual participant meta-analysis including 1,020 pre-pubertal children from three European studies and investigated the associations of 285 metabolites measured by LC/MS-MS with BMI z-score, height, weight, HOMA, and lipoprotein concentrations.

Are All Breast-fed Infants Equal? Clustering Metabolomics Data to Identify Predictive Risk Clusters for Childhood Obesity.

Objectives: Fetal and early life represent a period of developmental plasticity during which metabolic pathways are modified by environmental and nutritional cues. Little is known on the pathways underlying this multifactorial complex. We explored whether 6 months old breast-fed infants could be clustered into metabolically similar groups and that those metabotypes could be used to predict later obesity risk.

Cultural effects on neurodevelopmental testing in children from six European countries: an analysis of NUTRIMENTHE Global Database.

Cultural background is an important variable influencing neuropsychological performance. Multinational projects usually involve gathering data from participants from different countries and/or different cultures. Little is known about the influence of culture on neuropsychological testing results in children and especially in European children.

Micronutrient intake adequacy in children from birth to 8 years. Data from the Childhood Obesity Project.

Background: In European countries, suboptimal intake has been reported for several micronutrients (as calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, D and folate) in both adulthood and childhood. No studies to date have prospectively compiled nutrient intake from healthy children in different European countries using the same methodology.

Aim: To describe the adequacy of micronutrient intake during the first eight years of life in children from 5 European countries.

Leptin and Adiponectin Serum Levels from Infancy to School Age: Factors Influencing Tracking.

Background: Early adiponectin and leptin in children correlate with those measured at a later age. Prenatal and early life factors may influence the pattern of leptin and adiponectin longitudinal changes. We aimed to identify subgroups of children with distinct trajectories of leptin and adiponectin over the first eight years of life, and to explore determinants predisposing an individual to be included in a specific trajectory class.

The introduction of solid food and growth in the first 2 y of life in formula-fed children: analysis of data from a European cohort study.

Background: Early introduction of solid food has been suspected to induce excessive infant energy intake and weight gain.

Objective: The objective of this study was to test whether introduction of solid foods influences energy intake or growth.

Design: Healthy, formula-fed infants who were recruited in 5 European countries were eligible for study participation.