Cardio-metabolic disease (CMD), a cluster of interrelated chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, non-alcohol fatty liver disease, and others, poses a significant threat to global health. CMDs are closely associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity, as well as reduced life quality of patients. To date, numerous modifiable risk factors associated with CMDs have been identified. However, the causal relationships and interactions between these factors remain incompletely understood. In light of the rapid advancement in biological technology, exploring more potential risk factors and conclusively establishing their causal associations with CMDs is possible. Additionally, precision prevention is still a big challenge for common practice, which requires a deeper comprehension of the interplay between genetic and environmental factors.
The proposed research aims to 1) comprehensively identify environmental factors associated with the development of CMDs in a large population-based cohort study; 2) explore the causal relationships between modifiable risk factors and CMDs; 3) explore potential interactions between genetic predisposition and environmental factors on CMDs; and 4) evaluate potential mediation (or modification) effect of biomarkers on the associations between environmental factors and CMDs.
Our project is expected to last for 36 months.
The findings of our project may deepen the understanding of risk factors associated with CMDs and their potential mechanisms leading to disease development. Our project will contribute to the early identification of high-risk populations and provide scientific evidence for developing prevention strategies.