Genomic and metabolomic profiling to understand the interactions between sugar-sweetened beverage intake, genetic predisposition and metabolome in influencing overweight and obesity among adolescents in the Philippines

The Philippines experiences an increasing prevalence of early-life obesity. A 2019 report from the DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) revealed that 9.1% of Filipino adolescents are obese, a three-fold increase in the prevalence in the last 15 years. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is one of the dietary factors associated with the obesity epidemic. In the Philippines, a child's preference for milk declines through age. Sweetened beverages, such as chocolate-based drinks, were most consistently consumed by Filipino children and adolescents. Although a link between SSB consumption and obesity in this specific age group seems plausible, the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear and warrants investigation. This project aims to identify biomarkers of SSB consumption via comprehensive genome-metabolome-phenome profiling among adolescents. Specifically, it envisions identifying the urinary biomarkers of SSB consumption, understanding the link between SSB intake and measures of obesity among adolescents, and determining the patterns of interaction between SSB intake and genotypes influencing obesity among adolescents.