Katie Klein
Supervisor: Andrea Haqq
Project: Assessing a new treatment for treating teens with obesity
"Despite being in the data collection phase, it is inspiring to hear first-hand how our treatment may potentially enhance the lives of adolescents."
Testing a combination of metformin, a common drug for diabetes, and dietary fibres in treating teenagers with obesity and issues processing blood sugar
Childhood obesity increases the chance of developing conditions that affect blood sugar control at a young age, called insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is when the body's cells are less sensitive to insulin, making it harder for sugar to be processed. Type 2 diabetes occurs when consistently high levels of blood sugar are present. During childhood, these conditions are more aggressive and harder to treat compared to adults, making it important to find better treatments for teens who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
To explore potential obesity therapies, it is important to note that obesity is connected to an imbalance of microorganisms in the gut. Previous research shows that both metformin (a common diabetes medication) and dietary fibres individually improve the balance of microorganisms in the gut and how the body works. Past studies found that using metformin and dietary fibres together improves blood sugar control. However, the health benefits of this combination of treatments remain unexplored in teens.
This study aims to investigate how a combination of metformin and a dietary fibre mix affects the health of teens. In this study, teens with obesity, insulin resistance, and a family history of diabetes will take either metformin or dietary fibres, or a combination of both, for 12 months. We will evaluate the impact of the interventions on body weight and composition, quality of life, blood markers, and the microorganisms in the gut. We expect the combination treatment to provide better health results compared to each treatment alone.
Our study may help find new treatments for obesity and insulin resistance involving gut microorganisms to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes in teens and obesity in adulthood.
Katie Klein was supervised by Andrea Haqq and her summer studentship was funded by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. She is enrolled in the Biomedical Science program at the University of Ottawa.
