Markus Juonala profile picture
Markus
Juonala
Professor, Internal Medicine
Professor
Cardiovascular epidemiology, Young Finns Study, i3c consortium

Contact

+358 29 450 2754
+358 50 478 3572

Areas of expertise

Internal medicine
endocrinology
cardiovascular risk

Biography

Professor Markus Juonala (MD, PhD, University of Turku) is a specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology at the Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. Since 2001, he has been conducting research on longitudinal studies examining the importance of childhood risk factors on later cardiovascular health. His PhD work was based primarily on the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (University of Turku, April 2005). Since 2008, he has had a major involvement in the development of the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort (i3C) Consortium that combines the efforts of the main longitudinal studies worldwide. In June 2014, he was appointed as Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Turku. In 2014-2015 and 2018-2019 he has been working as the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Fellow in Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI). 

His career publications total is 270 (h-index 44) with published highlights including a first-author paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, the first-ranked general medicine journal, one paper in JAMA, the third-ranked general medicine journal and 30 papers (11 as first/last author) published in either the number one, two, or three ranked cardiovascular disease journals (17 in Circulation, five in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, eight in the European Heart Journal). 

Teaching

Teaching responsibilities: 1) Internal medicine for medical students, 2) Internal medicine specialisation programme for MDs

Special interest areas: Acute internal medicine, endocrinology, lipidology

  

Research

Professor Juonala’s principal research focus has been to provide novel information on the effects of childhood risk factors on cardiovascular health in adulthood. Beginning from the summer of 2008 he has led a research group within the Young Finns Study and i3c consortium with special interest on cardiometabolic risk factors. The most important findings of his research have provided information on childhood and early adulthood risk factors for atherosclerosis, suggesting that childhood risk factors, such as dyslipidaemia, elevated blood pressure and smoking, predict early atherosclerosis and its progression independent of adult risk factors levels. Concerning cardiometabolic risk factors, his group has been able to show that overweight and metabolic syndrome diagnosed either in childhood or adulthood is predictive of carotid atherosclerosis and its progression in adulthood. However, at the time of obesity epidemic, the most important findings concern the reversibility of cardiovascular risk. His work has demonstrated that although overweight and metabolic syndrome are predictive of early atherosclerosis, favourable changes in lifestyle associated with weight maintenance or reduction improve cardiovascular health.

 


Publications

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Decreasing severity of obesity from early to late adolescence and young adulthood associates with longitudinal metabolomic changes implicated in lower cardiometabolic disease risk (2022)

International Journal of Obesity
Mansell Toby, Magnussen Costan G., Nuotio Joel, Laitinen Tomi T., Harcourt Brooke E., Bekkering Siroon, McCallum Zoe, Kao Kung-Ting, Sabin Matthew A., Juonala Markus, Saffery Richard, Burgner David, Saner Christoph
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

The Associations of Childhood Psychosocial Factors With Cognitive Function in Midlife-The Young Finns Study (2022)

Neuropsychology
Nurmi Amanda, Pulkki-Råback Laura, Salo Pia, Pahkala Katja, Juonala Markus, Hutri-Kähönen Nina, Kähönen Mika, Lehtimäki Terho, Jokinen Eero, Keltikangas-Järvinen Liisa, Laitinen Tomi P., Tossavainen Päivi, Taittonen Leena, Viikari Jorma S. A., Raitakari Olli T., Rovio Suvi P.
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Afamin predicts the prevalence and incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (2022)

Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
Pitkänen Niina, Finkenstedt Armin, Lamina Claudia, Juonala Markus, Kähönen Mika, Mäkelä Kari-Matti, Dieplinger Benjamin, Viveiros Andre, Melmer Andreas, Leitner Isabella, Kedenko Ludmilla, Seppälä Ilkka, Viikari Jorma S.A., Mueller Thomas, Kronenberg Florian, Paulweber Bernhard, Lehtimäki Terho, Zoller Heinz, Raitakari Olli T., Dieplinger Hans
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))

Association of Non-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Measured in Adolescence, Young Adulthood, and Mid-Adulthood With Coronary Artery Calcification Measured in Mid-Adulthood (2021)

JAMA Cardiology
Armstrong Matthew K, Fraser Brooklyn J, Hartiala Olli, Buscot Marie-Jeanne, Juonala Markus, Wu Feitong, Koskinen Juha, Hutri-Kähönen Nina, Kähönen Mika, Laitinen Tomi P, Lehtimäki Terho, Viikari Jorma SA, Raitakari Olli T, Magnussen Costan G
(Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1))