This project is a collaboration between GENDI (expanding from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study) and ALSPAC. It will be the postdoctoral project of the applicant. The main objective is to study associations of dietary intakes on body weight, body composition and obesity, specifically according to the variants of candidate genes for obesity and/or body composition, such as melanocortin-4 receptor gene MC4R, fat mass and obesity associated-gene FTO and beta3-adrenergic receptor gene ADRbeta3. All these have been suggested to have interaction effects with macronutrient intake on the risk of excessive body fat. The postdoctoral project will take place at the University of Bristol; the applicant will work as a visiting researcher. Her personal funding comes from the Academy of Finland.

Gene-diet interactions in the development of atherosclerosis and osteoporosis (GENDI) is an ongoing consortium project funded in the Academy of Finland programme on Nutrition, Food and Health. The project aims to test and find gene-diet interactions in the development of atherosclerosis and osteoporosis and to obtain new information on the mechanisms and congruencies in the etiology of these diseases. The research expands from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, an ongoing large cohort study in Finland. The first cross-sectional study was performed in 1980, and included 3,596 children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years. The latest follow-up was carried out in 2007 (n=2,204).

The collaboration between the two projects and their longitudinal data will offer a fruitful environment to achieve the objectives effectively. The genetic data will be combined with cumulative information on nutrition, and these will be related to later anthropometric measurements. The research will be carried out using existing data from ALSPAC and GENDI. From ALSPAC, the use of following data is required:

Dietary data: Food frequency data from age 7 onwards, assessed with questionnaires completed by the child.

Lifestyle data: Information on physical activity from age 7 onwards, assessed with questionnaires completed by the child.

Genetic data: Genotypes of relevant SNPs: MC4R rs17782313 and FTO rs9939609from the children.

Outcome data: Anthropometric data from age 7 onwards, assessed in clinics.

In addition, the applicant will apply for extra funding from the Academy of Finland for new genetic analyses to be performed. If granted, this funding will cover the costs of three SNPs among the ALSPAC offspring cohort. These will include beta3-adrenergic receptor gene ADRbeta3 rs1042714 and two other obesity related SNPs. Also, the applicant will apply from the academy for another EUR 2,500 for data management costs in ALSPAC.