Diabetes and Obesity Research

Diabetes and Related Metabolic Disorders

Obesity, type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders present a major and growing global public health challenge. These disorders result from a complex interplay between genetic, developmental and environmental factors that operate throughout life. The variation in the risk of diabetes and obesity between different countries and continents around the world is considerably greater than the variation in risk within individual countries. Professor Nick Wareham, Director of Centre for Diet and Activity Research and the MRC Epidemiology Unit leads number of large projects diabetes and obesity including GDAR and InterAct.

The GDAR Project

The goal of the Global Diet and Activity Research Group and Network (GDAR) is to help prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancers, in low and middle income countries (LMICs). In collaboration with research partners in Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa and the Caribbean GDAR will generate evidence on the factors that lead to poor diet and physical inactivity, design and evaluate interventions to change these factors (also known as determinants), and use mathematical modelling to investigate the long-term health and economic effects of such interventions. Read more

The InterAct Project

This study is designed to investigate how genetic and lifestyle behavioural factors, particularly diet and physical activity, interact in their influence on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. For more information about the InterAct Project click here.

 

Key Publications

1. Association between intake of less-healthy foods defined by the United Kingdom's nutrient profile model and cardiovascular disease: A population-based cohort study. Mytton OT, Forouhi NG, Scarborough P, Lentjes M, Luben R, Rayner M, Khaw KT, Wareham NJ, Monsivais P. PLoS Med. 2018 Jan 4;15(1):e1002484.

2. Protein-altering variants associated with body mass index implicate pathways that control energy intake and expenditure in obesity. Turcot V, Lu Y, Highland HM, Schurmann C, Justice AE, ..., Wareham NJ, Warren HR, Waterworth DM, Wessel J, White HD, Willer CJ, Wilson JG, Witte DR, Wood AR, Wu Y, Yaghootkar H, Yao J, Yao P, Yerges-Armstrong LM, Young R, Zeggini E, Zhan X, Zhang W, Zhao JH, Zhao W, Zhou W, Zondervan KT; CHD Exome+ Consortium; EPIC-CVD Consortium; ExomeBP Consortium; Global Lipids Genetic Consortium; GoT2D Genes Consortium; EPIC InterAct Consortium; INTERVAL Study; ReproGen Consortium; T2D-Genes Consortium; MAGIC Investigators; Understanding Society Scientific Group, Rotter JI, Pospisilik JA, Rivadeneira F, Borecki IB, Deloukas P, Frayling TM, Lettre G, North KE, Lindgren CM, Hirschhorn JN, Loos RJF. Nat Genet. 2018 Jan;50(1):26-41.

3. Weight change and 15 year mortality: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk) cohort study. Mulligan AA, Lentjes MAH, Luben RN, Wareham NJ, Khaw KT. Eur J Epidemiol. 2017 Dec 20.

4. Sequence data and association statistics from 12,940 type 2 diabetes cases and controls. Jason F, Fuchsberger C, Mahajan A, Teslovich TM, Agarwala V, Gaulton KJ, ..., Wareham NJ, Walker M, Banks E, Gieger C, Ingelsson E, Im HK, Illig T, Franks PW, Buck G, Trakalo J, Buck D, Prokopenko I, Mägi R, Lind L, Farjoun Y, Owen KR, Gloyn AL, Strauch K, Tuomi T, Kooner JS, Lee JY, Park T, Donnelly P, Morris AD, Hattersley AT, Bowden DW, Collins FS, Atzmon G, Chambers JC, Spector TD, Laakso M, Strom TM, Bell GI, Blangero J, Duggirala R, Tai ES, McVean G, Hanis CL, Wilson JG, Seielstad M, Frayling TM, Meigs JB, Cox NJ, Sladek R, Lander ES, Gabriel S, Mohlke KL, Meitinger T, Groop L, Abecasis G, Scott LJ, Morris AP, Kang HM, Altshuler D, Burtt NP, Florez JC, Boehnke M, McCarthy MI. Sci Data. 2017 Dec 19;4:170179.

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