| Title: | Life-style factors and their interactions with genes in the context of inflammation and inflammation-related diseases |
| Lead Institution: | Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen |
| Principal investigator: | Dr Marie Standl |
Application 70262
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About
The dramatic rise in chronic diseases over a relatively short period is a clear indication that changes in lifestyle play a key role in their development. Dietary intake and physical activity are useful targets for strategies aiming at disease prevention. Different types of fatty acids have received attention due to their roles in inflammation, as has regular physical activity. This is especially relevant for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, because patients often present chronically elevated levels of inflammation, which typically precede disease onset. Nevertheless, the message on dietary fat intake for disease prevention is often misleading, with contradictive findings frequently reported. On the other hand, the role of physical activity on lung health as a means for disease prevention has not been investigated in depth. Much of the confusion regarding diet may result from the inability to separate the effects of different foods or nutrients typically consumed together (e.g. if vegetable oil is usually used for frying, one cannot know if reported effects come from the oil itself or the food being fried, or both). The same applies for physical activity, which is commonly linked to dietary behaviours. On the other hand, even if the lifestyle behaviour of interest is properly captured, it is possible that different people respond differently to the same diet or activity, due to differences in their genetic or epigenetic composition. Both these problems can be tackled by making use of existing knowledge on genes involved, for example, in metabolism of dietary fatty acids, lipids or other inflammation-related pathways. This project will assess the relationship of different types of dietary fat and physical activity with respect to chronic respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma, COPD), cardiovascular disorders (e.g. vascular/heart problems), and their respective risk factors (e.g. lung function, cardiometabolic parameters). We hope to disentangle underlying causal associations, and identify possible subgroups of individuals who may respond differently to dietary fat intake, based on both the type and amount of fat consumed, and their personal genetic predisposition. This project is planned over a period of 3 years, and results will allow for a clearer interpretation of existing and newly observed associations in the context of dietary fatty acids and physical activity. The studies will add to the evidence needed for better-informed and more personalized recommendations that can be implemented by the public for the effective and timely prevention of cardiometabolic and respiratory diseases.1 Publication
| Pub ID | Title | Author(s) | Year | Journal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11980 | The impact of high-salt diet on asthma in humans and mice: Effect on specific T-cell signatures and microbiome | Stephanie Musiol (+12) | 2024 | Allergy |
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