Research at the Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine

Research projects

The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS) - Epidemiologic study on atherosclerotic precursors in Finnish children and young adults

The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study is one of the largest follow-up studies into cardiovascular risk from childhood to adulthood. The main aim is to determine the contribution made by childhood lifestyle, biological, and psychological measures to the risk of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.

Project Leader: Academy Professor Olli Raitakari

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The STRIP Project - A Prospective Randomized Trial of Atherosclerosis Prevention in Infancy and Childhood - An Epidemiological Study

The STRIP study is unique worldwide; no other study has started dietary intervention in infancy and continued it for 20 years, and simultaneously collected data with repeated measurements on a vast number of risk factors and subclinical markers for cardiovascular health.

The main purpose of the STRIP Study (Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project) is the prevention of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease by a dietary intervention which began in infancy and has continued to early adulthood. The trial was launched in 1990 when 1062 7-month-old children and their families were enrolled. Half of the families have received individualized dietary and other life-style counseling at least twice a year whereas the rest of the families have served as a control group. The STRIP Study intervention continued until the participants reached the age of 20 years.

Project Leader: Academy Professor Olli Raitakari

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Recent publications of the Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine

Genome-wide association and longitudinal analyses reveal genetic loci linking pubertal height growth, pubertal timing and childhood adiposity (2013)

Human Molecular Genetics
Cousminer DL, Berry DJ, Timpson NJ, Ang W, Thiering E, Byrne EM, Taal HR, Huikari V, Bradfield JP, Kerkhof M, Groen-Blokhuis MM, Kreiner-Moller E, Marinelli M, Holst C, Leinonen JT, Perry JRB, Surakka I, Pietilainen O, Kettunen J, Anttila V, Kaakinen M, Sovio U, Pouta A, Das S, Lagou V, Power C, Prokopenko I, Evans DM, Kemp JP, St Pourcain B, Ring S, Palotie A, Kajantie E, Osmond C, Lehtimaki T, Viikari JS, Kahonen M, Warrington NM, Lye SJ, Palmer LJ, Tiesler CMT, Flexeder C, Montgomery GW, Medland SE, Hofman A, Hakonarson H, Guxens M, Bartels M, Salomaa V, Murabito JM, Kaprio J, Sorensen TIA, Ballester F, Bisgaard H, Boomsma DI, Koppelman GH, Grant SFA, Jaddoe VWV, Martin NG, Heinrich J, Pennell CE, Raitakari OT, Eriksson JG, Smith GD, Hypponen E, Jarvelin MR, McCarthy MI, Ripatti S, Widen E
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1))

Causal Relationship between Obesity and Vitamin D Status: Bi-Directional Mendelian Randomization Analysis of Multiple Cohorts (2013)

PLoS Medicine
Vimaleswaran KS, Berry DJ, Lu C, Tikkanen E, Pilz S, Hiraki LT, Cooper JD, Dastani Z, Li R, Houston DK, Wood AR, Michaelsson K, Vandenput L, Zgaga L, Yerges-Armstrong LM, McCarthy MI, Dupuis J, Kaakinen M, Kleber ME, Jameson K, Arden N, Raitakari O, Viikari J, Lohman KK, Ferrucci L, Melhus H, Ingelsson E, Byberg L, Lind L, Lorentzon M, Salomaa V, Campbell H, Dunlop M, Mitchell BD, Herzig KH, Pouta A, Hartikainen AL, Streeten EA, Theodoratou E, Jula A, Wareham NJ, Ohlsson C, Frayling TM, Kritchevsky SB, Spector TD, Richards JB, Lehtimaki T, Ouwehand WH, Kraft P, Cooper C, Marz W, Power C, Loos RJF, Wang TJ, Jarvelin MR, Whittaker JC, Hingorani AD, Hypponen E
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1))

Lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 variants and dietary fatty acids: meta-analysis of European origin and African American studies (2013)

International Journal of Obesity
Smith CE, Ngwa J, Tanaka T, Qi Q, Wojczynski MK, Lemaitre RN, Anderson JS, Manichaikul A, Mikkila V, Van Rooij FJA, Ye Z, Bandinelli S, Frazier-Wood AC, Houston DK, Hu F, Langenberg C, McKeown NM, Mozaffarian D, North KE, Viikari J, Zillikens MC, Djousse L, Hofman A, Kahonen M, Kabagambe EK, Loos RJF, Saylor GB, Forouhi NG, Liu Y, Mukamal KJ, Chen YDI, Tsai MY, Uitterlinden AG, Raitakari O, Van Duijn CM, Arnett DK, Borecki IB, Cupples LA, Ferrucci L, Kritchevsky SB, Lehtimaki T, Qi L, Rotter JI, Siscovick DS, Wareham NJ, Witteman JCM, Ordovas JM, Nettleton JA
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1))
Keywords
Cardiovascular Medicine (CAPC)