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

Read more about the project

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

Genetic Profiling Using Genome-Wide Significant Coronary Artery Disease Risk Variants Does Not Improve the Prediction of Subclinical Atherosclerosis: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, the Bogalusa Heart Study and the Health 2000 Survey - A Meta-Analysis of Three Independent Studies (2012)

PLoS ONE
Hernesniemi JA, Seppala I, Lyytikainen LP, Mononen N, Oksala N, Hutri-Kahonen N, Juonala M, Taittonen L, Smith EN, Schork NJ, Chen W, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS, Murray SS, Laitinen T, Jula A, Kettunen J, Ripatti S, Laaksonen R, Viikari J, Kahonen M, Raitakari OT, Lehtimaki T
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1))

Common variants at 6q22 and 17q21 are associated with intracranial volume (2012)

Nature Genetics
Ikram MA, Fornage M, Smith AV, Seshadri S, Schmidt R, Debette S, Vrooman HA, Sigurdsson S, Ropele S, Taal HR, Mook-Kanamori DO, Coker LH, Longstreth WT, Niessen WJ, DeStefano AL, Beiser A, Zijdenbos AP, Struchalin M, Jack CR, Rivadeneira F, Uitterlinden AG, Knopman DS, Hartikainen AL, Pennell CE, Thiering E, Steegers EAP, Hakonarson H, Heinrich J, Palmer LJ, Jarvelin MR, McCarthy MI, Grant SFA, St Pourcain B, Timpson NJ, Smith GD, Sovio U, Nalls MA, Au R, Hofman A, Gudnason H, van der Lugt A, Harris TB, Meeks WM, Vernooij MW, van Buchem MA, Catellier D, Jaddoe VWV, Gudnason V, Windham BG, Wolf PA, van Duijn CM, Mosley TH, Schmidt H, Launer LJ, Breteler MMB, DeCarli C, Adair LS, Ang W, Atalay M, vanBeijsterveldt T, Bergen N, Benke K, Berry D, Coin L, Davis OSP, Elliott P, Flexeder C, Frayling T, Gaillard R, Groen-Blokhuis M, Goh LK, Haworth CMA, Hadley D, Hedebrand J, Hinney A, Hirschhorn JN, Holloway JW, Holst C, Hottenga JJ, Horikoshi M, Huikari V, Hypponen E, Kilpelainen TO, Kirin M, Kowgier M, Lakka HM, Lange LA, Lawlor DA, Lehtimaki T, Lewin A, Lindgren C, Lindi V, Maggi R, Marsh J, Middeldorp C, Millwood I, Murray JC, Nivard M, Nohr EA, Ntalla I, Oken E, Panoutsopoulou K, Pararajasingham J, Rodriguez A, Salem RM, Sebert S, Siitonen N, Strachan DP, Teo YY, Valcarcel B, Willemsen G, Zeggini E, Boomsma DI, Cooper C, Gillman M, Hocher B, Lakka TA, Mohlke KL, Dedoussis GV, Ong KK, Pearson ER, Price TS, Power C, Raitakari OT, Saw SM, Scherag A, Simell O, Sorensen TIA, Wilson JF
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1))

A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies new childhood obesity loci (2012)

Nature Genetics
Bradfield JP, Taal HR, Timpson NJ, Scherag A, Lecoeur C, Warrington NM, Hypponen E, Holst C, Valcarcel B, Thiering E, Salem RM, Schumacher FR, Cousminer DL, Sleiman PMA, Zhao JH, Berkowitz RI, Vimaleswaran KS, Jarick I, Pennell CE, Evans DM, St Pourcain B, Berry DJ, Mook-Kanamori DO, Hofman A, Rivadeneira F, Uitterlinden AG, van Duijn CM, van der Valk RJP, de Jongste JC, Postma DS, Boomsma DI, Gauderman WJ, Hassanein MT, Lindgren CM, Magi R, Boreham CAG, Neville CE, Moreno LA, Elliott P, Pouta A, Hartikainen AL, Li MY, Raitakari O, Lehtimaki T, Eriksson JG, Palotie A, Dallongeville J, Das S, Deloukas P, McMahon G, Ring SM, Kemp JP, Buxton JL, Blakemore AIF, Bustamante M, Guxens M, Hirschhorn JN, Gillman MW, Kreiner-Moller E, Bisgaard H, Gilliland FD, Heinrich J, Wheeler E, Barroso I, O'Rahilly S, Meirhaeghe A, Sorensen TIA, Power C, Palmer LJ, Hinney A, Widen E, Farooqi IS, McCarthy MI, Froguel P, Meyre D, Hebebrand J, Jarvelin MR, Jaddoe VWV, Smith GD, Hakonarson H, Grant SFA
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1))