The Predictors Of Type 2 Diabetes In The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,136.00
Summary
In 1990 we set up a long-term study of diet and health. The aim was to measure diet and other risk factors in healthy people in order to see how they might affect future development of type 2 diabetes (also known as adult onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes). To do this we recruited 41,500 Melbournians aged 40 to 69 years, measured what they ate and drank, and collected information on other aspects of lifestyle, medical history, and family history of common diseases. All had height and weigh ....In 1990 we set up a long-term study of diet and health. The aim was to measure diet and other risk factors in healthy people in order to see how they might affect future development of type 2 diabetes (also known as adult onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes). To do this we recruited 41,500 Melbournians aged 40 to 69 years, measured what they ate and drank, and collected information on other aspects of lifestyle, medical history, and family history of common diseases. All had height and weight and blood pressure measured and gave a blood sample. People were selected so that men and women, and migrants from Italy and Greece would be included. In this way we could widen the range of dietary habits and other lifestyle indicators. Since then participants have completed another questionnaire and occurrences of disease have been noted from self-reports and from examining medical records. We want to analyse data from the 700 people in the study who have developed type 2 diabetes. First we will analyse data collected on all 41,500 (on joining the study, and at follow up). Next we will use data from the 700 people with diabetes and 1400 of similar age and sex who have not developed diabetes. This study will focus on measuring substances in the blood. We want to measure a range of fats, vitamins, antioxidants, a marker of the health of blood vessels, as well as sex hormones and related substances. We will then be able to estimate what affect these factors have on the risk of getting diabetes. We will also be able to see if any of them act together to make the risk of diabetes much higher in certain men and women. This work should identify what changes in lifestyle, especially diet, could reduce the risk of diabetes, and help us understand why this is so. This is important because every year more and more people are developing diabetes.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Stress Response And Circadian Genes In The Link Between Excess Lipid And Muscle Insulin Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$579,000.00
Summary
Obesity and its associated conditions of heart disease, reduced insulin action, fatty liver and type 2 diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. The epidemic of these conditions appears to be due to an interaction between genetic background and changes in the environment such as reduced physical activity and increased availability and consumption of high energy food. The relationship between genes and environment is very complex but it seems clear that increased intake of high fat f ....Obesity and its associated conditions of heart disease, reduced insulin action, fatty liver and type 2 diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. The epidemic of these conditions appears to be due to an interaction between genetic background and changes in the environment such as reduced physical activity and increased availability and consumption of high energy food. The relationship between genes and environment is very complex but it seems clear that increased intake of high fat foods can cause body tissues to accumulate excess fat. This interferes with the way that the hormone insulin controls body glucose utilisation although how this happens has not been fully defined. This grant application will test two possible mechanisms that could help explain the link between increased dietary fat intake and decreased insulin action in muscle. Using microarrays to examine the activity of genes in normal and insulin resistant muscle, we have identified two groups of genes that may be involved in how fat causes insulin resistance. One group of genes is normally associated with stress and we will determine if fats control these genes directly or if fats increase other stress factors which increase the activity of these genes. We will then use novel gene therapy techniques to see if these genes cause insulin resistance in muscle of experimental animals. The second group of genes is related to the mechanisms which regulate daily cycles in the body such as sleep-wake cycles, blood pressure, and eating behaviour. We will examine the activity of these genes over a 24 hour period in muscle from normal animals and insulin resistant animals to determine if disruption of these gene cycles contributes to insulin resistance. We will then perform experiments to establish what processes these genes control. The successful outcome of this grant will determine if these groups of genes can be targeted to help treat lipid-induced insulin resistance in muscle.Read moreRead less
Predictors Of Cardiovascular Disease Mortality In The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,544.00
Summary
The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study was set up in the early 1990s to investigate prospectively the role of diet and other lifestyle factors in causing common chronic diseases including common cancers and cardiovascular disease. Between 1990 and 1994, 41,500 people, aged 40-69 were recruited into the MCCS. About 30% of the cohort are southern European migrants to Australia who were deliberately over-sampled to extend the range of dietary and lifestyle exposures. Migrants from southern Europe ....The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study was set up in the early 1990s to investigate prospectively the role of diet and other lifestyle factors in causing common chronic diseases including common cancers and cardiovascular disease. Between 1990 and 1994, 41,500 people, aged 40-69 were recruited into the MCCS. About 30% of the cohort are southern European migrants to Australia who were deliberately over-sampled to extend the range of dietary and lifestyle exposures. Migrants from southern Europe have an adverse risk factor profile in relation to obesity, body fat distribution, physical activity patterns, diabetes, smoking, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, yet their death rates from heart disease are 30-40% lower than the Australian average. A major objective of this study is to investigate the possibility that particular aspects of the diet and cuisine of migrants from southern Europe (olive oil as the major dietary fat, and high intakes of a variety of vegetables and fruit) protect against heart disease and stroke by providing high levels of a wide range of natural antioxidants. It represents the most comprehensive prospective study of diet and cardiovascular disease mortality ever conducted in Australia. A particularly powerful feature is the combination of detailed self-reported dietary intake, the very wide range of exposures to dietary factors implicated in CVD (as risk factors or protective agents), and the objective markers of dietary intake (biochemical markers of dietary intake patterns in blood collected at recruitment, body weight, body fat and body fat distribution). The data should provide a strong rationale for specific dietary recommendations as part of population-based strategies to reduce the incidence of premature mortality from heart disease and stroke in the Australian population.Read moreRead less