Grant: Operating Grant

Heart attacks and strokes are the leading cause of disability and death worldwide. The causes including high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, psychological stress, improper diets and physical inactivity are well known. But, we do not know how early in life and why the metabolic risk factors: high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure develop in individuals and how early in life these will lead to hardening of the arteries in young people. Our objectives are - 1. To determine if children who have high levels of these risk factors are at higher risk of developing hardening of the arteries, measured by ultrasound by age 10 years. 2. To determine how these metabolic risk factors develop and lead to the artery hardening in children who are 10 years old. 3. To study the influence of maternal determinants during pregnancy (diet, physical activity, tobacco use, weight gain) and after birth, household determinants (parents health and behaviours including diet, physical activity, tobacco use, socioeconomic status and psychosocial stress), childhood determinants (diet, weight gain, physical activity) and selected genes, on the development of the metabolic risk factors during childhood and early teens. This information is critical to our understanding of the development of these risk factors and to helping in the design of comprehensive and effective preventive strategies to prevent heart disease and stokes in future generations of Canadians.