DOST-FNRI and Taipei Medical University collaborate; partnership ushered with a webinar on non-nutritive sweeteners.
Dr. Yang Ching Chen, a physician-scientist at Taipei Medical University visited the DOST- FNRI on May 8-9, 2023, to discuss and finalize the joint Manila Economic and Cultural Office – Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (MECO-TECO) research proposal.
Included in the two-day research visit is a benchmarking of available technologies at the DOST-FNRI through a laboratory tour.
The proposed joint research project will integrate the study of the genes (genome), metabolites (metabolome), and intestinal microbes (microbiome) to understand the link between dietary sugars and sweeteners and childhood obesity. The project envisions a cross-country genome-wide association study (GWAS) on the consumption of sugars and sweeteners among Filipino and Taiwanese adolescents.
The research also aims to identify pathways of metabolism related to the intake of added sugars and sweeteners that may contribute to unhealthy weight gain among children and adolescents. Such insights, at the molecular level, can lead to the creation of obesity risk prediction systems that can be used by both countries.
Significant contributions to enhance the existing national policies on sugary and sweetened foods and beverages are among the long-term goals of the collaborative project.
Introductory webinar on sweeteners and premature adolescence
A webinar on “Non-nutritive sweeteners and precocious puberty” was held on May 8, 2023, the first day of Dr. Chen’s research visit, to kick off the collaborative research. The virtual learning and development initiative was attended by 60 DOST-FNRI staff.
Precocious puberty, also known as premature or accelerated adolescence is the early appearance of physical and hormonal signs of pubertal development. This can be exemplified by the growth of breasts and body hairs among girls at ages 6 to 7 when this is supposed to start at age 8, or even later.
During the webinar, Dr. Chen reported the results of her research on aspartame, glycyrrhizin, and acesulfame potassium, three known non-nutritive sweeteners, on premature adolescence.
These three sweeteners posed differing effects on precocious puberty.
Aspartame, for instance, a low-calorie sweetener found in diet sodas and dairy products such as yogurt, delays puberty among adolescent females by controlling the effects of the growth hormones.
Glycyrrhizin, a natural sweetener from the roots of licorice plants, reduces the risk of precocious puberty by promoting healthy intestinal microbial composition among female adolescents.
Meanwhile, acesulfame potassium, a major ingredient of tabletop sweeteners, promotes accelerated adolescence by triggering the premature production of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).
Sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen are among the known gonadotropins.
Research findings such as these are expected to be generated, as the joint research project between the DOST-FNRI and Taipei Medical University commences early next year.
The MECO-TECO Joint Research Project (JRP)
The MECO-TECO JRP is an annual research call initiated between the Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of Taiwan.
For 2023, the priority areas for MECO-TECO collaborative projects include virology, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, smart farming, unmanned vehicle systems, disaster risk reduction, and nutritional genomics, among others.
Aside from joint research, other modes of MECO-TECO collaboration include scientific exchange, capacity building, training courses, and Sandwich Scholarship Program (SSP).
