Scientific Rationale: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular, cancer, and other chronic disorders, are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Lifestyle behaviours such as diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and sleep patterns are well-recognised modifiable determinants of disease risk. Metabolic characteristics, including circulating biomarkers, may reflect biological processes related to disease development and potentially linked to lifestyle exposures. However, the independent and combined contributions of lifestyle and metabolic factors to incident NCD risk remain incompletely quantified, particularly in large-scale populations.
Research questions: (1) What are the prospective associations of lifestyle behaviours with incident NCDs? (2) How are metabolic factors associated with NCD risk? (3) What are the independent and combined contributions of lifestyle and metabolic factors to NCD risk?
Research Objectives: This project aims to investigate the prospective associations of lifestyle behaviours and metabolic biomarkers with incident NCDs, and to evaluate their independent and joint contributions to disease risk.
