UK Biobank News and Research

RSS

Britain announces £300 million for its elderly population in a healthy aging initiative

Britain is embarking upon a multi-million government scheme that will develop products and services that allow the elderly to stay independently in their own homes for longer.

12 Mar 2018

Waist to hip ratio predicts heart attack risks among women

According to a new study from the George Institute for Global Health, women who have larger waists compared to their hips are at a greater risk of heart attacks than men who have a similar shape. A larger waist compared to hips is typically called the “apple shape”. The study appeared in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association and was sourced by data and other aids by UK Biobank.

1 Mar 2018

New study explores connection between shift work and type 2 diabetes

A new study takes a deep look at the connection between shift work and type 2 diabetes. Investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital leveraged data on hundreds of thousands of people in the UK Biobank to better understand how shift work - especially frequent night work - contributes to the likelihood of type 2 diabetes.

12 Feb 2018

Starting menstruation early increases risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke in later life

A new study has revealed a significant link between cardiovascular disease and stroke risk in women who began menstruating before the age of 12.

16 Jan 2018

Regeneron forms consortium to accelerate largest widely-available human sequencing resource

By the end of 2019, Regeneron plans to sequence the exomes of all 500,000 people within the UK Biobank resource, all with associated health records, creating an unprecedented resource linking human genetic variations to human biology and disease.

9 Jan 2018

Polygenic risk score predicts early-onset heart disease risk

A risk score based on multiple genetic differences, or polygenic risk score, predicted significantly more cases of early-onset heart disease than standard tests for single genetic defects, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.

8 Jan 2018

Parental lifespan genes could pave way for new therapeutic targets to prolong life

A large-scale international study led by the University of Exeter Medical School has discovered new genes linked to parents' lifespan - which could one day be targeted to help prolong human life.

8 Dec 2017

Large-scale study expands number of genetic markers linked to exceptional longevity

A new large-scale international study expands the number of genetic markers now known to be associated with exceptional longevity.

7 Dec 2017

Adults as likely to develop type 1 diabetes as children, research finds

Type 1 diabetes is not predominantly a 'disease of childhood' as previously believed, but is similarly prevalent in adults, new research published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology shows.

30 Nov 2017

Common heart rhythm abnormality along with other health conditions linked to greater risk of mortality

Young or middle-aged people with Atrial Fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm abnormality, are at greater risk of death if they have other long-term health conditions, according to a new study.

6 Nov 2017

Study pinpoints which lifestyle factors cause longer or shorter lifespan

People who are overweight cut their life expectancy by two months for every extra kilogramme of weight they carry, research suggests.

13 Oct 2017

Largest ever genetic study paves way for potential osteoporosis treatment

Scientists are honing in on a potential treatment for osteoporosis, after performing the largest ever genetic study of the common age-related bone-thinning disease.

5 Sep 2017

Slow walkers could be at higher risk of heart disease, say researchers

A team of researchers at the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, UK - a partnership between Leicester's Hospitals, the University of Leicester and Loughborough University - has concluded that middle-aged people who report that they are slow walkers could be at higher risk of heart disease compared to the general population.

29 Aug 2017

Higher levels of neuroticism may reduce risk of death for some individuals

Data from a longitudinal study of over 500,000 people in the United Kingdom indicate that having higher levels of the personality trait neuroticism may reduce the risk of death for individuals who report being in fair or poor health.

24 Jul 2017

Depression causes alterations in the brain's structure, study finds

Changes in the brain's structure that could be the result of depression have been identified in a major scanning study.

21 Jul 2017

Brief bursts of high-intensity, weight-bearing activity linked to better bone health in women

A single minute of exercise each day is linked to better bone health in women, new research shows.

18 Jul 2017

Researchers identify common genetic factors that influence muscle strength

Common genetic factors that influence muscle strength in humans have been identified for the first time in a study led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and published today in Nature Communications.

12 Jul 2017

Study reveals link between higher BMI and increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases

Results of a new study add to the evidence of an association between higher body mass index (BMI) and increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, according to a study published by JAMA Cardiology.

5 Jul 2017

Researchers uncover seven risk genes for insomnia

An international team of researchers has found, for the first time, seven risk genes for insomnia. With this finding the researchers have taken an important step towards the unraveling of the biological mechanisms that cause insomnia.

12 Jun 2017

Study examines relationship between statin use and heart structure, function

Statins are associated with improved heart structure and function, according to research presented today at EuroCMR 2017. The benefits were above and beyond the cholesterol lowering effect of statins.

26 May 2017