Polygenic Risk Scores, Physical Activity and Causality in Cardiometabolic Diseases (GenActive)

The GenActive study will investigate causal relationships between genetic predisposition, physical activity, and cardiometabolic disease using large population data sets, polygenic risk scores, and genetically controlled longitudinal designs. In addition, we will use monozygotic twin pairs that are discordant for disease status to investigate potential mechanisms that influence disease development.

Table of contents

Project duration
-
Core fields of research
Physical activity, health and wellbeing
Research areas
Active aging
JYU.Well
Physical activity, wellbeing and behaviour change across the life-span
Molecular mechanisms of exercise and health
Co-operation
Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG); Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland
Faculty
Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences
Funding
Research Council of Finland
Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation Juho Vainio Foundation

Project description

Animal and twin studies that have been able to control for the effect of genetics have challenged the consensus that physical activity causally reduces the incidence of major public health diseases and mortality. Multifactorial phenotypes, such as physical activity or cardiometabolic disease, are explained by a large number of gene variants that individually have very little explanatory power but collectively describe an individual's genetic susceptibility to a trait or disease. The effect of these hundreds of thousands of gene variants is summarized in polygenic risk scores, which this research team has also generated for physical activity.

The study will investigate causal relationships between genetic predisposition, physical activity, and cardiometabolic disease using large population data sets, polygenic risk scores, and genetically controlled longitudinal designs. In addition, we will use monozygotic twin pairs that are discordant for disease status to investigate potential mechanisms that influence disease development.

Publications

Publication
2024
Available through Open Access
International Journal of Obesity.
Föhr, Tiina
Hendrix, Arne
Kankaanpää, Anna
Laakkonen, Eija K.
Kujala, Urho
Pietiläinen, Kirsi H.
Lehtimäki, Terho
Kähönen, Mika
Raitakari, Olli
Wang, Xiaoling
Kaprio, Jaakko
Ollikainen, Miina
Sillanpää, Elina
Publication
2023
Available through Open Access
International Journal of Cancer.
Sievänen, Tero
Korhonen, Tia‐Marje
Jokela, Tiina
Ahtiainen, Maarit
Lahtinen, Laura
Kuopio, Teijo
Lepistö, Anna
Sillanpää, Elina
Mecklin, Jukka‐Pekka
Seppälä, Toni T.
Laakkonen, Eija K.

Project team