A GLP-1 receptor could potentially serve as a prevention method for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease (CKMD) in children, according to a Vanderbilt Health press release. Researchers from the university, along with researchers from UTHealth Houston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently uncovered early signs of the disease that the medication can reverse in a study.

Participants included 273 children and adolescents, more than one third of whom had phenotypes of cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic disease. All participants were also part of the Border Health Research Cohort in Cameron County, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The researchers used blood samples and other physical measures to assess connections between levels of circulating proteins and disease-associated phenotypes. They used machine learning approaches to identify proteomic “signatures” of CKMD, Vanderbilt said. They compared their findings to protein patterns in adults, uncovering similar signatures.

The researchers noted that while GLP-1 receptors can help lower the amount of the disease-associated proteins in both adults and children, possible risks of the medication should also be considered.

The signatures uncovered could help with CKMD prevention and screening efforts in children. The authors said, “In total, these observations underscore the potential for precision proteomic risk assessment in children to identify at-risk groups who may benefit from earlier preventive strategies aimed at improving CKMD-free longevity. Further work in large pediatric populations to understand modifiability is critical to clinical deployment of precision strategies to detect and forestall cardiometabolic complications that originate in childhood.”