Worldwide the number of children and adolescents with risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as obesity and high blood pressure is increasing. Prevention strategies to reduce blood pressure and obesity are a national and international public health priority.
The relationships between diet and obesity and cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure have been studied in adult populations but there are fewer corresponding studies in adolescents.
This project aims to
• Explore the relationships between diet, body size and adiposity, blood pressure and biomarkers for cardiovascular health (such as serum lipids and serum tocopherols) in UK adolescents from the ALSPAC cohort.
• Determine aspects of diet that increase children’s and adolescents’ likelihood of future obesity and high blood pressure.
• Develop a dietary based risk tool to identify groups of young people at high risk of future obesity during their teenage years.