Two graduate students in the Faculty of Medicine have received $5,000 from the Janeway Children's Hospital Foundation to investigate the role that appetite and energy regulation gastrointestinal (GI) hormones play in the development of childhood obesity.

PhD student Farrell Cahill and M.Sc. student Danny Wadden, under the supervision of Dr. Guang Sun, are currently investigating the influence of the GI hormones peptide YY, pancreatic polypeptide and ghrelin in the development of obesity and diabetes within the adult Newfoundland population. They are now widening their research focus to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes.

“The World Health Organization approximates that globally there are 43 million overweight children under the age of five,” said Mr. Cahill. “This is especially relevant for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador considering it has one the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in Canada.”

A 2010 report released by the Canadian Diabetes Association found that nine per cent of the population of Newfoundland and Labrador was diagnosed with diabetes, resulting in a fiscal burden of $254 million per year.

“By the year 2020 it’s estimated that more than 14 per cent of our population will be diagnosed with diabetes at a cost of approximately $325 million per year,” said Mr. Cahill.

“Our interest in obesity is of critical importance considering that  excess adipose (fat) tissue accumulation is associated with various co-morbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various types of cancer which are being found at earlier and earlier stages of life,” explained Mr. Wadden. “The GI secretes various hormones that regulate the functions of digestion, absorption and appetite through the gut-brain axis. However, the role of these gut hormones in the development of childhood obesity and diabetes is largely unknown.”

Mr. Cahill and Mr. Wadden believe their work may help to increase the understanding of childhood obesity and the development of co-morbidities such as diabetes. A total of 200 families with at least one obese child will be recruited from the Newfoundland and Labrador population.

For more information on participation in the study, please contact Farrell Cahill or Danny Wadden at 709-777-8661 or by email at genefind@mun.ca.