Scientific rationale and Aims: Deaths and cases of major chronic diseases, for example, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, are increasing globally due to urbanisation and population ageing. Development of chronic diseases is a complex process involving multiple lifestyle and genetic risk factors. Diet is one of the lifestyle factors that play a key role in maintaining health and in influencing development and progression of these diseases. However, findings are not all consistent, and evidence on the causality of the relationship between diet and chronic diseases is very limited. With this project, we will aim to study in-depth the impact of diet on the development of major chronic diseases by investigating the role of genetics and other factors in the blood (e.g. vitamin D, cholesterol, glucose) in this diet-disease relationship.
Project duration: 36 months
Public health impact: The expected findings of the proposed research will further enhance our understanding on the association between diet and risk of major chronic diseases and on the potential reasons behind the positive or negative effects that particular diets have on health. These results will possibly inform development of dietary recommendations and nutritional policies for disease prevention and management.
