MRC Epidemiology Unit
Cambridge researchers have developed a method for measuring overall fitness accurately on wearable devices – and more robustly than current consumer smartwatches and fitness monitors – without the wearer needing to do an exercise test. VO2max is the capacity of the body to carry out aerobic work and a key measurement of overall fitness, is […]
Wearable device study in 88,000 people shows the heart health benefits of more intense physical activity
Increasing physical activity of any intensity is beneficial for health, but new research published today in the European Heart Journal shows that there is a greater reduction in cardiovascular disease risk when more of that activity is of at least moderate intensity. The study, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and University of […]
One in 500 men carry extra sex chromosome, putting them at higher risk of several common diseases
Around one in 500 men could be carrying an extra X or Y chromosome – most of them unaware – putting them at increased risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and thrombosis, say researchers at the universities of Cambridge and Exeter. In a study published in Genetics in Medicine, researchers analysed genetic […]
Reducing TV viewing to less than one hour a day could help prevent more than one in ten cases of coronary heart disease
Watching too much TV is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease regardless of an individual’s genetic makeup, say a team of scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge and the University of Hong Kong. In a study published today in BMC Medicine, the researchers show that – assuming […]
How our brain uses nutritional state to regulate growth and age at puberty
Scientists have discovered how a receptor in the brain, called MC3R, detects the nutritional state of the body and regulates the timing of puberty and rate of growth in children and increases in lean muscle mass. These findings, published today in the journal Nature, may explain how humans have been growing taller and reaching sexual […]
Researchers identify new genes linked to longer reproductive lifespan in women
The age at which women go through menopause is critical for fertility and impacts healthy ageing in women, but reproductive ageing has been difficult for scientists to study and insights into the underlying biology are limited. Now, scientists have identified nearly 300 gene variations that influence reproductive lifespan in women. Additionally, in mice, they have […]
Rare genetic variants confer largest increase in type 2 diabetes risk seen to date
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified rare genetic variants – carried by one in 3,000 people – that have a larger impact on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes than any previously identified genetic effect. Type 2 diabetes is thought to be driven in part by inherited genetic factors, but many of […]
New research finds that genetics plays an important role in age at first sex and parenthood
An international research team, led by Professor Melinda Mills and colleagues at the University of Oxford and MRC Epidemiology Unit scientist Dr Felix Day, has discovered hundreds of genetic markers driving two of life’s most momentous milestones – the age at when people first have sex and become parents. In an analysis of data from […]
Researchers uncover genetic marker associated with fatty liver disease
The link between a specific genetic marker and severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been validated in this study by researchers from several institutions and organisations, including the MRC Epidemiology Unit, Perspectum and UK Biobank. This will help to better identify individuals at increased risk of more advanced forms of the disease. NAFLD […]
Largest ever study using wearable devices finds physical activity is beneficial for health, and more intense activity is better
Physical activity of any intensity is beneficial for health, but more intense activity has greater benefits, according to a new study published today in Nature Medicine. In the largest study to date of accelerometer-measured physical activity, a team led by MRC Epidemiology Unit researchers analysed data from more than 96,000 UK Biobank participants. Current physical […]