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

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

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new susceptibility loci for migraine (2013)

Nature Genetics

Anttila V, Winsvold BS, Gormley P, Kurth T, Bettella F, McMahon G, Kallela M, Malik R, de Vries B, Terwindt G, Medland SE, Todt U, McArdle WL, Quaye L, Koiranen M, Ikram MA, Lehtimaki T, Stam AH, Ligthart L, Wedenoja J, Dunham I, Neale BM, Palta P, Hamalainen E, Schurks M, Rose LM, Buring JE, Ridker PM, Steinberg S, Stefansson H, Jakobsson F, Lawlor DA, Evans DM, Ring SM, Farkkila M, Artto V, Kaunisto MA, Freilinger T, Schoenen J, Frants RR, Pelzer N, Weller CM, Zielman R, Heath AC, Madden PAF, Montgomery GW, Martin NG, Borck G, Gobel H, Heinze A, Heinze-Kuhn K, Williams FMK, Hartikainen AL, Pouta A, van den Ende J, Uitterlinden AG, Hofman A, Amin N, Hottenga JJ, Vink JM, Heikkila K, Alexander M, Muller-Myhsok B, Schreiber S, Meitinger T, Wichmann HE, Aromaa A, Eriksson JG, Traynor BJ, Trabzuni D, Rossin E, Lage K, Jacobs SBR, Gibbs JR, Birney E, Kaprio J, Penninx BW, Boomsma DI, van Duijn C, Raitakari O, Jarvelin MR, Zwart JA, Cherkas L, Strachan DP, Kubisch C, Ferrari MD, van den Maagdenberg AMJM, Dichgans M, Wessman M, Smith GD, Stefansson K, Daly MJ, Nyholt DR, Chasman DI, Palotie A