Approved Research

Identification of genetic variants and lifestyle factors involved in obesity.

Lay summary

Obesity is characterized by the excessive accumulation of the white adipose tissue and is considered to be driven by genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. We aim to identify genetic factors and lifestyle factors including dietary pattern, sleeping and physical activity involved in obesity. For this purpose, a genome-wide exploratory approach will be utilized to identify new genetic variants and gene-environment interactions that predispose higher body mass, higher body adiposity and risk of obesity. In this study, we need the data of UKB to explore 1) the associations of different dietary patterns with risk of obesity; 2) potential influence of sleeping quality and duration on risk of developing obesity; 3) the risk of obesity associated with physical activities; 4) new gene variants and gene-environment interactions that predispose overweight and obesity. This project will take approximately 3 years to analyse all the data and write the results for publication.