Several cardiovascular risk factors in the early years of life, particularly abdominal fat, are associated with a thickened vessel wall in adolescence, and possibly with early cardiovascular disease later in life. This is according to results from the 030-WHISTLER study, about which a scientific article was published this week in JAMA Network Open. This study is coordinated by PhD student Isabelle van der Linden under the supervision of Kors van der Ent, Sanne Nijhof and Henk Schipper from the 030-Lab at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in collaboration with the Julius Centre.
In the Netherlands, there are about 1.7 million people with cardiovascular disease. Although cardiovascular disease usually does not cause symptoms until adulthood, the process of cardiovascular disease starts in childhood with thickening of the vessel wall. Factors such as obesity and high blood pressure can accelerate this process. This 030-WHISTLER study shows that more abdominal fat in particular and a greater increase in abdominal fat in childhood leads to a thickened vessel wall in adolescence.
‘You have different types of abdominal fat, namely subcutaneous fat, which is between the abdominal muscles and the skin, and visceral fat, which is around the organs in the abdominal cavity,’ says Isabelle. ‘Precisely that visceral abdominal fat and the growth in it during childhood can be bad for blood vessels.’ Identifying cardiovascular risk factors in childhood helps researchers develop new prevention strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease later in life.
This 030-WHISTLER study was done in healthy children. However, it is known that children with various chronic conditions are at higher risk of early cardiovascular disease. This increased risk may come from both disease-associated factors such as inflammation, and lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise. The new 030-SMART-Youth study will identify these risk factors and investigate indications of cardiovascular disease in children with chronic conditions. This research will take place in the 030-Lab of the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, with the aim of preventing cardiovascular diseases in these children as much as possible in the future.
The 030-Lab is a central facility at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital where researchers from UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University and the Princess Máxima Centre work closely together. Researchers collect and analyse data from healthy and sick children over a long period of time. They do so to gain insight into the long-term consequences of diseases or treatments. They also shed light on the effect of chronic disease on children’s development. The researchers collect both biological and psychosocial data. In doing so, the 030 Lab applies the FAIR data principles: Data must be findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable and stored sustainably.
