The Dr. Robert C. And Veronica Atkins Foundation

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 30.4 percent of U.S. Latino children are overweight, and have more Type 2 diabetes than Caucasian children. In some communities, over half of Latino adolescents are, or are at risk for being, overweight.

These numbers tell a story that noted pediatric obesity researcher Michael Goran, Ph.D., is working tirelessly to rewrite. Professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Goran has spent the last two decades conducting pioneering studies into the biological origins of childhood obesity and its relationship to increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. One of the few researchers exploring how ethnicity can complicate the health problems overweight children encounter, he also has been examining the role of exercise in childhood obesity prevention.

When Dr. Goran turned his attention to a new area—nutrition intervention for overweight children in East Los Angeles, home to one of the largest U.S. Latino populations—he looked to the Atkins Foundation for research funding in 2004. The result: “A Novel Nutritional Approach to Prevent Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in Low Income Hispanic Families,” became the first protocol to develop a culturally sensitive carbohydrate modification program for the prevention of teenage obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

The two-year pilot study demonstrated that overweight Latina girls substantially lowered added sugar, sugary beverages and refined carbohydrates intake (33 percent, 66 percent, 35 percent, respectively), and increased dietary fiber intake (46 percent) throughout the 12-week program, which led to significant reductions in body mass index parameters. This was also the first time a traditional group classroom format was shown to be equally effective as an intensive home-based one.

Results of these findings, published in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, will be used to design larger and more detailed studies incorporating weight loss and physical activity combinations to determine how best to achieve sustainable healthy weight and risk reduction in this vulnerable, understudied population.

One such project received Atkins Foundation funding in 2006. USC researcher Jamie Davis, Ph.D., is testing whether a one-year nutrition and strength training maintenance intervention can significantly support long-term improvements in dietary intake, physical activity and obesity outcomes among overweight Latino and African American adolescents. Spurred by recent interest in the study’s age- and ethnic-friendly curriculum, the research team is exploring publication options for broad distribution.

Also in 2006, Dr. Goran was named the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Chair in Childhood Obesity and Diabetes, enabling him and fellow investigators to conduct additional pilot projects or pursue new avenues of inquiry. The $2 million endowment also supports the innovative Veronica Atkins Lifestyle Intervention Laboratory.

Changing lifestyles, changing lives

The 3,500 square-foot laboratory features diagnostic facilities, and fully equipped gym and teaching kitchen. Here, Dr. Goran and his team conduct clinical trials to understand the link between exercise, nutrition counseling and lifestyle changes on adolescents’ risk of obesity and diabetes. Measurable results, ranging from weight loss to lower blood sugar levels, encourage continued commitment to the program, which many participants credit with changing their lives.

Investigators are interested in identifying the mechanism for the large improvement in insulin resistance they’ve seen in overweight children after 16 weeks of strength training. The hope is that other researchers will adapt this program to meet their own communities’ needs.