Nutritional And Genetic Factors Associated With Genome Damage In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$715,131.00
Summary
This project will investigate the link between children's diet and damage to their DNA. Damage to DNA is known to accumulate throughout life, and to be associated with risk of cancer and other diseases in adulthood. If we can show that poor diet in childhood increases DNA damage in childhood, it suggests that poor diet early in life may also increase risk of cancer and other diseases in adulthood. This will underpin important, salient health promotion messages we can provide to parents.
Early Predictors And Body Composition Changes Associated With Adiposity Rebound
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$201,650.00
Summary
Overweight and obesity rates are increasing in children, and overweight children have higher risk of adult obesity and therefore diseases including heart attack, stroke and diabetes. The preschool years may offer opportunities to divert children from the path to obesity, before poor physical activity and nutritional habits become firmly established. Adiposity rebound is the time in a child's life (usually around 5 to 6 years of age) when body mass index (BMI) begins to increase after a steady de ....Overweight and obesity rates are increasing in children, and overweight children have higher risk of adult obesity and therefore diseases including heart attack, stroke and diabetes. The preschool years may offer opportunities to divert children from the path to obesity, before poor physical activity and nutritional habits become firmly established. Adiposity rebound is the time in a child's life (usually around 5 to 6 years of age) when body mass index (BMI) begins to increase after a steady decline in BMI in the preschool years. Early adiposity rebound is associated with increased BMI in later life. We don't yet know whether the early adiposity rebound causes the higher BMI, or whether it is simply an early sign of an already-established pathway of behavioural and environmental risk. We need a much better understanding of predictors of early adiposity rebound and the changes that occur to determine if age at adiposity rebound is a modifiable risk factor for adult obesity. This study will document the process and timing of adiposity rebound and the changes in percent body fat and lean body mass that occur during that time. We will also determine whether risk and protective factors for early adiposity rebound and overweight at age 6 years are the same or different. We will study over 400 children on whom extensive data have been collected since birth, including period of gestation, birth weight and length. At various stages during their first two years of life, height, weight, feeding patterns and development were recorded. We will measure BMI and perform bioimpedance analysis (BIA) on these children six times between 4 and 6 years of age. BIA provides a measure of body fat and lean mass that is well accepted by children. This will help determine the relationship between changing BMI at different ages and the fat-to-lean mass ratios associated with those changes. This study is the first to consider body composition changes during adiposity rebound.Read moreRead less
The Predictors Of Prostate Cancer In The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,457.00
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 cancer. To do this we recruited 41,500 people aged 40 to 69, 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 ....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 cancer. To do this we recruited 41,500 people aged 40 to 69, 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, other lifestyle factors and genetic variation (measured in DNA from blood). Since then participants have completed another questionnaire and instances of disease have been noted from self reports and from examining medical records. We want to analyse data from 700 men in the study who have developed prostate cancer (PC). First we will analyse data collected on all 17,000 men (collected when joining the study, and at follow up). Next we will use data from only the 700 men with PC and 1400 men who have not developed PC. This study will focus on measuring substances in the blood. We want to measure a range of fats, vitamins, antioxidants and phytoestrogens, as well as male sex hormones and related substances. In the DNA from the blood we plan to measure variations in genes that influence how male sex hormones and other growth factors important in the prostate are produced and used. We will then be able to estimate what affect these factors have on the risk of getting PC. We will also be able to see if any of them act together to make the risk of PC much higher in certain men. This work should identify what lifestyle factors could reduce the risk of PC. It should also identify what genetic variations are associated with increased risk of PC and thus identify a sub group of men who might benefit from early medical attention or from changes in lifestyle.Read moreRead less