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The SunPreg Study

Determining the associations of sun exposure in early life on the development of non-communicable diseases.

Sunlight exposure may reduce the development on non-communicable diseases such as eczema, obesity and type-2 diabetes.

Recent results from human and animal studies suggest that sun exposure may suppress the development of inflammation, which is expressed phenotypically in infants through allergic disease (especially eczema), and later in life as increased risk of developing obesity and type-2 diabetes.

These observations suggest that sun exposure may reduce the risk of developing NCDs during the life course. However, very few studies have measured sun exposure during pregnancy, and/or in infancy, or its potential to modulate NCD development.

The SunPreg Study will determine how much sunlight pregnant women are exposed to (for which there is very little data), and measure whether safe sun exposure reduces the risk for adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, and the risk for development of NCDs in their infants.

1,000 ORIGINS participants will take part in the study, and will be measured at multiple time points during pregnancy (24, 28, 32 and 36 weeks), and in babies (at 2, 4 and 6 months of age). The study will measure: sun exposure using validated and comprehensive sun exposure questionnaires, UV light dosimeters; serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (via LC-MS/MS) and nitric oxide-related metabolites. 

These measurements will be used to examine the nature of the associations between sun exposure and the following outcomes:

  • Maternal adiposity, including body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain
  • Maternal metabolic health, including oral glucose tolerance test (GTT) results, diagnosis of gestational diabetes
  • Pregnancy outcomes, including caesarean section incidence
  • Neonatal adiposity, including body composition using the Pea Pod and birth weight and length
  • Infant metabolic health, including blood glucose, HbA1c, lipids, adipokines, and hs-CRP
  • Infant allergic disease and inflammation biomarkers, including clinical diagnosis of eczema and food allergy, skin integrity using trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), and allergen sensitization by skin prick testing.

One of the outcomes of this study hopes to develop better sun exposure policies with the Cancer Council (WA) that provide advice to pregnant women on the right balance of sun protection and exposure. 

Investigators