Nutritional Programming of Metabolism and Endocrine Signaling in Childhood Obesity
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2026 | Viewed by 136
Special Issue Editor
Interests: pediatrics; fatty liver disease; youth with obesity; metabolomics; adolescent; branched chain amino acids; insulin resistance; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; obesity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Childhood obesity represents a major global health challenge with long-term metabolic and endocrine consequences. Increasing evidence supports the concept of nutritional programming, predisposing individuals to obesity and related disorders. Critical windows, including prenatal development, infancy, and early childhood, appear particularly sensitive to nutritional imbalances. Maternal overnutrition, gestational diabetes, excessive protein intake in infancy, and early introduction of energy-dense foods have been associated with alterations in adipogenesis, insulin sensitivity, appetite regulation, and hypothalamic signaling.
These early nutritional cues may induce persistent changes through epigenetic modifications, altered gut microbiota composition, and dysregulation of key endocrine axes, including insulin, leptin, ghrelin, and growth hormone pathways. Such mechanisms contribute to adipose tissue expansion, chronic low-grade inflammation, and impaired metabolic flexibility, increasing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life.
Understanding the biological mechanisms underlying nutritional programming is essential for developing targeted preventive strategies. Early nutritional interventions, promotion of breastfeeding, optimization of maternal metabolic health, and balanced complementary feeding practices may represent critical tools to reduce the burden of childhood obesity and its long-term endocrine complications.
Dr. Cosimo Giannini
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- childhood obesity
- maternal overnutrition
- gestational diabetes
- type 2 diabetes
- cardiovascular disease
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