Cardiometabolic health is a term that refers to a collection of conditions, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Together, these conditions are the major cause of preventable death globally. Researchers now know that the underlying processes for developing cardiometabolic diseases can begin at an early age. A large part cardiometabolic health is linked to lifestyle factors, and dietary habits throughout the life span are an important modifiable factor. Previous studies have shown that different dietary patterns and qualities of the diet can influence cardiometabolic health. Evidence also suggests that habitual ‘unhealthy’ eating patterns can lead to a chronic inflammatory state (because certain nutrients and foods produce an inflammatory response in the body), and chronic low-grade inflammation has been linked to numerous chronic diseases. Finally, dietary habits are intricately connected to obesity, and obesity is related to both cardiometabolic health and chronic inflammation.

Research into the relationship between diet quality, cardiometabolic health and low-grade inflammation in children and young adults is still very limited. It is particularly important to understand these relationships during this period because it is when dietary habits begin to stabilize and track into adulthood. Therefore, we plan to study if diet quality in childhood and adolescence are associated with cardiometabolic health and low-grade inflammation later in early adulthood.

We will use detailed reports of food intake collected when children were 7, 10 and 13 years old to measure four distinct aspects of diet quality which have been related to cardiometabolic health in adults i) a dietary pattern largely characterised by the amount of energy, fat, sugar and fibre ii) an adapted Inflammatory Dietary Score representing the inflammatory potential of the diet, iii) an adapted relative Mediterranean diet representing adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet, and iv) the adapted Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 representing compliance to dietary guidelines to reduce chronic disease risk. Cardiometabolic health will be assessed at 17 and 24 years by measuring glucose, insulin, triglyceride and cholesterol levels, blood pressure, body composition and adiposity indicators and cardiovascular structure. Chronic low-grade inflammation will be assessed at 24 years by measuring a number of key markers of inflammation in blood samples taken at this age. This study should help gain a clearer understanding of the complex relationship between different aspects of diet quality, chronic low-grade inflammation and cardiometabolic alternations in childhood and young adults, where research is severely lacking. The results will contribute to the scientific evidence needed to develop effective preventative measures and identify and manage high-risk groups.