Why are people from India more prone to heart disease?

Childhood and young adult predictors of myocardial structure and function at age 45 years in the new Delhi and Vellore birth cohorts, India

Professor Caroline Fall is investigating why people from the Indian sub-continent are more prone to heart disease and diabetes than people from Europe. By studying young adults in New Delhi and Vellore in India, Professor Fall and her team have already found that lower bodyweight at birth, or in early childhood, is linked to a higher risk of adult diabetes. They found that a rapid gain in body fat in late childhood is linked to risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, pre-diabetes and higher blood fats. In this project, Professor Fall, working with teams in Oxford and India, is now studying the structure and function of heart muscle using echocardiography scans in the 3,000 men and women who took part in their earlier study, now 45 years old. They are looking at how changes in the heart muscle are related to growth in early life, and whether growth in early life combined with adult lifestyle determines future disease risk. This research could identify periods in child or adult development where interventions may improve nutrition and growth, and may provide evidence that encouraging healthy lifestyles in early life could prevent future high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.