Publications by authors named "Rainer Rauramaa"

Article Synopsis
  • * We found 17 genetic loci associated with sleep duration impacting lipid levels, with 10 of them being newly identified and linked to sleep-related disturbances in lipid metabolism.
  • * The research points to potential drug targets that could lead to new treatments for lipid-related issues in individuals with sleep problems, highlighting the connection between sleep patterns and cardiovascular health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Genome-wide association studies have found numerous genetic loci linked to glycemic traits, but connecting these loci to specific genes and biological pathways remains a challenge.
  • Researchers conducted meta-analyses of exome-array studies across four glycemic traits, analyzing data from over 144,000 participants, which led to the identification of coding variant associations in more than 60 genes.
  • The study revealed significant pathways related to insulin secretion, zinc transport, and fatty acid metabolism, enhancing understanding of glycemic regulation and making data available for further research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to 23 genes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to genes involved in neurological, thyroidal, bone metabolism, and hematopoietic pathways.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Educational attainment is linked to cardiovascular health, and a large genomic study examined how it interacts with cholesterol and triglyceride levels in nearly 226,315 individuals across five population groups.
  • The study identified 18 new genetic variations related to lipid levels—nine for low-density lipoprotein (LDL), seven for high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and two for triglycerides (TG)—some of which interact with educational attainment.
  • Researchers also found five gene targets that potentially interact with FDA-approved drugs, suggesting a connection between genetics and drug responses related to lipid metabolism and overall health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Researchers examined genetic factors influencing insulin levels after a glucose challenge in over 55,000 people from different ancestry groups, identifying ten new genetic locations linked to postprandial insulin resistance.
  • * They found that many of these loci share genetics with type 2 diabetes, suggesting a common underlying mechanism.
  • * The study also highlighted nine candidate genes affecting GLUT4, a key glucose transporter, which plays an important role in glucose uptake during the post-meal state.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

No lifestyle-based interventions with medium-term duration on carotid atherosclerotic have been performed so far. We aimed to investigate whether guideline-based dietary and physical activity interventions slow the progression of atherosclerotic changes in the general elderly population. 1410 Finnish men and women from a representative population sample were randomly assigned to one of six groups in the four-year intervention study: 1) reference, 2) aerobic training, 3) resistance training, 4) Nordic Diet, 5) aerobic training + Nordic Diet, 6) resistance training + Nordic Diet.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: Cardiovascular health scores have emerged as a simple way to assess the risk to suffer from a cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 constitutes of modifiable lifestyle factors to reduce cardiovascular risk. Its association with carotid properties is yet inconclusive.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Psychological and social factors are known to influence blood pressure (BP) and risk of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases. To identify novel BP loci, we carried out genome-wide association meta-analyses of systolic, diastolic, pulse, and mean arterial BP taking into account the interaction effects of genetic variants with three psychosocial factors: depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and social support. Analyses were performed using a two-stage design in a sample of up to 128,894 adults from 5 ancestry groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Scientists studied people's genetics to learn about traits related to blood sugar, which helps diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes.
  • Most of the earlier studies only looked at people with European backgrounds, but this research included many more individuals from different backgrounds, finding 242 important genetic spots linked to blood sugar levels.
  • By studying a diverse group of people, they discovered new insights about how diabetes works in the body, helping to uncover different biological processes for each glycemic trait.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Long and short sleep duration are associated with elevated blood pressure (BP), possibly through effects on molecular pathways that influence neuroendocrine and vascular systems. To gain new insights into the genetic basis of sleep-related BP variation, we performed genome-wide gene by short or long sleep duration interaction analyses on four BP traits (systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure) across five ancestry groups in two stages using 2 degree of freedom (df) joint test followed by 1df test of interaction effects. Primary multi-ancestry analysis in 62,969 individuals in stage 1 identified three novel gene by sleep interactions that were replicated in an additional 59,296 individuals in stage 2 (stage 1 + 2 P < 5 × 10), including rs7955964 (FIGNL2/ANKRD33) that increases BP among long sleepers, and rs73493041 (SNORA26/C9orf170) and rs10406644 (KCTD15/LSM14A) that increase BP among short sleepers (P < 5 × 10).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The relationship between intake of saturated fats and subclinical atherosclerosis, as well as the possible influence of genetic variants, is poorly understood and investigated. We aimed to investigate this relationship, with a hypothesis that it would be positive, and to explore whether genetics may modulate it, using data from a European cohort including 3,407 participants aged 54-79 at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT), measured at baseline and after 30 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Evidence for the effects of exercise and dietary interventions on cognition from long-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in large general populations remains insufficient.

Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the independent and combined effects of resistance and aerobic exercise and dietary interventions on cognition in a population sample of middle-aged and older individuals.

Methods: We conducted a 4-y RCT in 1401 men and women aged 57-78 y at baseline.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A large study involving over 150,000 individuals found that genetic effects on fasting insulin vary by sex, specifically at the IRS1 and ZNF12 gene locations, with women showing higher RNA expression levels for ZNF12.
  • * The findings highlight that fasting insulin in women correlates more strongly with certain conditions like waist-to-hip ratio and anorexia nervosa, indicating that metabolic health differences between sexes may provide insight into their respective genetic influences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Genetic studies of blood pressure (BP) to date have mainly analyzed common variants (minor allele frequency > 0.05). In a meta-analysis of up to ~1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: frailty syndrome is common amongst older people. Low physical activity is part of frailty, but long-term prospective studies investigating leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) during the life course as a predictor of frailty are still warranted. The aim of this study is to investigate whether earlier life LTPA predicts frailty in older age.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Educational attainment serves as a proxy for socioeconomic status (SES), which is linked to increased risks of hypertension and high blood pressure (BP).
  • The study focused on exploring genetic factors influencing BP by examining how education levels (specifically "Some College" and "Graduated College") interact with genetics, using large-scale multi-ancestry analyses to identify both known and new genetic loci associated with BP.
  • From two phases of research involving over 400,000 participants, the study discovered 84 previously recognized and 18 new genetic loci related to BP, particularly noting the importance of SES and educational attainment in understanding genetic influences on BP regulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aim: The association between alcohol consumption and subclinical atherosclerosis is still unclear. Using data from a European multicentre study, we assess subclinical atherosclerosis and its 30-month progression by carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) measurements, and correlate this information with self-reported data on alcohol consumption.

Methods: Between 2002-2004, 1772 men and 1931 women aged 54-79 years with at least three risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) were recruited in Italy, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Short and long sleep durations are linked to negative lipid profiles through different biological processes, which can affect levels of HDL, LDL, and triglycerides.* -
  • A study with 126,926 participants from diverse ancestries identified 49 new gene variants related to lipid levels influenced by sleep duration, as well as 10 additional variants specifically in European ancestry cohorts.* -
  • The research highlights important gene-sleep interactions that could explain variations in triglyceride levels, enhancing our knowledge of how sleep affects lipid metabolism.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "" [Veglia et al., 2018]. Data contain information about the incidence of cardiovascular events in a high-risk European population (IMPROVE study) [Baldassarre et al.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene-smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Smoking affects levels of good and bad cholesterol and fat in the blood, but we don't know if genetics play a role in how smoking influences these levels.
  • Researchers studied a lot of people (over 133,000) to see if genes and smoking together affect cholesterol and triglycerides, finding 13 new gene locations related to these fats.
  • It's important to include different groups of people in research, especially when looking at how lifestyle choices like smoking interact with genes, to discover new things.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF