{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,6]],"date-time":"2026-01-06T05:29:00Z","timestamp":1767677340143,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,4]],"date-time":"2026-01-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767484800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100011999","name":"Fundaci\u00f3n Mexicana para la Salud","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100011999","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100020728","name":"Fundaci\u00f3n Gonzalo R\u00edo Arronte","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["S603"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["S603"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100020728","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003141","name":"Secretar\u00eda de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnolog\u00eda e Innovaci\u00f3n","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["CVU 779627"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CVU 779627"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003141","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Metabolites"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Metabolomic profiling can uncover metabolic differences among seemingly healthy children, providing opportunities for personalized medicine and early detection of risk biomarkers for future metabolic disorders. This study aimed to identify and internally validate metabotypes in apparently healthy schoolchildren using targeted serum metabolomics and to assess the external validity of this metabotype classification tool in two separate groups of children. Methods: Data from schoolchildren aged 6\u201311 years were analyzed in two phases. In the first phase, we developed and validated a classification tool using targeted serum metabolomics in healthy children. Metabotypes were identified through unsupervised clustering with a self-organizing map, followed by assessment of cluster stability and classification accuracy. In the second phase, we tested the tool\u2019s consistency by applying it to two additional groups: the same children from phase 1 after a 10-month physical activity intervention, and a separate group diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Results: Three metabotypes were identified in healthy children: METBA (balanced profile), METLI (high lipid and glucose levels), and METAA (high amino acid levels). Internal validation showed strong cluster stability (ARI = 0.79) and high classification accuracy (0.95). After the intervention, 55% of children were reclassified, indicating diverse metabolic responses to physical activity. Among children with metabolic syndrome, 83% were classified as METLI and 13% as METAA. Conclusions. This tool revealed serum metabolomic diversity, enabling classification of healthy children into three distinct metabotypes. It also detects changes in metabotype classification associated with a physical activity intervention and identifies the majority of children diagnosed with metabolic syndrome within two groups. This supports the potential use of metabotypes as biomarkers and eventually for personalized interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/metabo16010044","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T12:38:56Z","timestamp":1767616736000},"page":"44","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Development and Validation of a Targeted Metabolomic Tool for Metabotype Classification in Schoolchildren"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Sheyla Karina","family":"Hern\u00e1ndez-Ram\u00edrez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Programa de Maestr\u00eda y Doctorado en Ciencias M\u00e9dicas, Odontol\u00f3gicas y de la Salud, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico"},{"name":"Unidad de Vinculaci\u00f3n de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico en el Instituto Nacional de Medicina Gen\u00f3mica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Diego Arturo","family":"Vel\u00e1zquez-Trejo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Vinculaci\u00f3n de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico en el Instituto Nacional de Medicina Gen\u00f3mica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico"},{"name":"Programa de Maestr\u00eda y Doctorado en Ciencias Biol\u00f3gicas, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Eduardo","family":"Sandoval-Col\u00edn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Vinculaci\u00f3n de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico en el Instituto Nacional de Medicina Gen\u00f3mica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Crist\u00f3bal","family":"Fresno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Red de Apoyo a la Investigaci\u00f3n, Coordinaci\u00f3n de la Investigaci\u00f3n Cient\u00edfica, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mariana","family":"Flores-Torres","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Vinculaci\u00f3n de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico en el Instituto Nacional de Medicina Gen\u00f3mica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ernestina","family":"Polo-Oteyza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fundaci\u00f3n Mexicana para la Salud, Mexico City 14610, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9832-9207","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9","family":"Garc\u00e9s-Hern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Vinculaci\u00f3n de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico en el Instituto Nacional de Medicina Gen\u00f3mica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nayely","family":"Garibay-Nieto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Bienestar Infantil, Hospital General de M\u00e9xico Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico"},{"name":"Healthec By Tec Salud, Mexico City 10200, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Isabel","family":"Ibarra-Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Gen\u00e9tica de la Nutrici\u00f3n, Instituto de Investigaciones\u00a0Biom\u00e9dicas UNAM, Instituto Nacional de Pediatr\u00eda, Mexico City 04530, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8230-4611","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcela","family":"Vela-Amieva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Errores Innatos del Metabolismo y Tamiz, Instituto Nacional de Pediatr\u00eda, Mexico City 04530, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guadalupe","family":"Estrada-Gutierrez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Inmunobioqu\u00edmica, Instituto Nacional de Perinatolog\u00eda Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Mexico City 11000, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Felipe","family":"Vadillo-Ortega","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Vinculaci\u00f3n de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico en el 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