Proteomic Study Identifies Early Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Disease Signs in Children

Signs linked to cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease may appear in children as young as 8, according to a new study that could help identify risks of future heart disease much earlier. Researchers from Vanderbilt Health, UTHealth Houston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analysed 273 children and adolescents. The findings were published in Nature Metabolism.

More than one-third of the participants showed physical and metabolic features linked to cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, including obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and unhealthy blood fat levels. These factors can increase the risk of heart and other chronic diseases later in life.

Researchers analysed blood samples to examine proteins circulating in the body. Using machine learning, they identified a specific pattern, or “protein signature”, associated with these disease-related characteristics.

The same protein patterns were found in 685 adults from the same community and in more than 28,000 adults whose biological data are stored in the UK Biobank. This suggests that some biological changes linked to cardiovascular disease may begin much earlier than previously recognised.

Interestingly, studies in adults have found that levels of several proteins in this signature decrease after treatment with semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist used for diabetes and weight management. This raises the possibility that some of the biological changes identified in children could be modifiable.

However, researchers stressed that the study does not show that children with these protein patterns should receive weight-loss medicines. Between 2020 and 2023, prescriptions for GLP-1 medicines among children increased substantially, but their benefits and potential risks need careful evaluation.

The researchers say these protein signatures could eventually help identify children at higher risk while there is still an opportunity to intervene through healthy diets, physical activity and, where appropriate, medical treatment.

Because the study was relatively small and based on one community, larger studies are needed to confirm the findings. Researchers hope that understanding these early biological changes could help prevent cardiovascular disease decades before symptoms develop.

REFERENCE: Landman, J. M., et al. (2026). Paediatric proteomic signatures of cardiometabolic disease-associated traits predict adult disease outcomes. Nature Metabolism. DOI: 10.1038/s42255-026-01589-7. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-026-01589-7