Type 2 diabetes was previously rare in children, but its prevalence in this age group is increasing as a result of the pediatric obesity epidemic, especially in non-European youth. First Nations children present the highest rates of this disease. The prevalence of prediabetes is also increasing in adolescents.
Dr Manousaki’s research focuses on abnormal glucose metabolism, or “dysglycemia”, which encompasses type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. In order to better understand the progression of type 2 diabetes in children, the research project aims to:
- Develop a tool for early prediction of dysglycemia using a combination of genetic and other known risk factors
- Determine whether a favorable environment and healthy lifestyle habits at an early age can counteract a genetic predisposition to dysglycemia
- Characterize the age-, gender- and ethno-cultural-specific pathophysiological mechanisms that encompass glucose metabolic trajectories in childhood.
This project will draw on diverse ancestries and rely on two North American cohorts of children at risk of obesity, a Canadian cohort of First Nations children, and a UK cohort of children and their parents.
As type 2 diabetes becomes increasingly prevalent among youth, this project represents a step towards identifying those most at risk, with the ultimate goal of informing public health measures to better support children in Canada.