Approved Research

Environmental exposure, genetic factors, and chronic diseases

Lay summary

In addition to functional deterioration by increased age, the occurrence of chronic disease is associated with multiple exposures, including but not limited to socioeconomic factors, biological factors, environmental factors, lifestyle and behavioral factors. Among the mixture of various risk factors, it is important to understand their comparative importance in the development of chronic diseases by using the same large-scale cohort. By applying an exposure and outcome wide strategy, we aim to: 1) compare the association of environmental exposure and cause-specific chronic diseases, identify the vulnerable diseases, and assess the attributable burden of these environmental stressors; 2) investigate the synergetic effects of exposure to multi-exposure on chronic diseases; 3) explore the effect modification of genetic types on chronic diseases. This project is expected to last 3 years. Findings from our proposed study will help improve understanding of the complex web of causation in chronic diseases, particularly those ageing-related health outcomes, identify the driving environmental exposure, and provide systematic evidence for the management of the risks contributing to the ageing-related health outcomes.