Capital begins mammoth medical research

A new study on diabetes, obesity, and heart disease in the UAE has been launched in the Capital, Khaleej Times has learned.

Researchers from the New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi and the NYU Langone Medical Centre, have collaborated with local partners in the UAE Capital to conduct the long-term study on 20,000 Emiratis between the ages of 18 and 40.

Dr Raghib Ali, principal investigator of the UAE Healthy Future Study and director of the Public Health Research Centre at the NYU Abu Dhabi, told Khaleej Times that 3,000 Emiratis have already taken part in the study, which "could go on for decades."

He highlighted that at the core of the initiative is a collective effort towards building a healthier future for the UAE - a cause uniting physicians and scientists from across the nation, who will seek to determine how the population has come to have one of the highest rates of lifestyle diseases in the world.

"We have seen over the last few years increasing rates of deaths from heart disease, which is the number one killer here."

"People as young as 40 are dying from heart disease and the reasons for that is diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It's only through this kind of study that we can understand why people are dying from heart disease and why it is happening at a young age."

Dr Ali said that it is only through conducting local data that experts can understand the cause of the deadly disease, which he said is linked to the genes, physical activity and diet.

He stressed that the reason as to why cases of heart disease and diabetes have increased is mainly due to rapid changes in lifestyle.

"In the last 50 years there has been what we call an 'epidemiological transition,' with very rapid socioeconomic development leading to changes in people's  lifestyles and habits including physical activity and diet."

But there are also some biological factors involved, said Dr Ali.

"There is evidence from other populations, which reveals that people born during the Dutch Famine in the second world war, and also their children, had a higher risk in obesity, diabetes and heart disease when food became abundant, because the way genes are expressed in the womb are according to the food availability at the time."

"We don't have any local data from the Emirati population to understand if this is relevant in the UAE as well, but there was relative food scarcity in the 40s and 50s, followed by the abundance we see today. This is the first time in the UAE that we will be able to see the fuller perspective."

Dr Ali said that recruiting a large number of Emiratis and following them for a number of years, will help experts determine the causes of heart disease and eventually help prevent cases from rising in the future.

jasmine@khaleejtimes.com

How to join

UAE Nationals interested in taking part in the country's first UAE Healthy Future Study, can now sign-up to take part at a new registration and assessment centre located near Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's reception area.

UAE Healthy Future registration and assessment center will enable seamless registration of participants through a process involving the completion of a questionnaire, as well as the provision of body measurements and samples of blood, urine, and saliva.

Participants will then be observed over several years with follow-up online questionnaires and clinical visits, to understand the role of both genetics and lifestyle choices in causing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

The study is conducted in collaboration with Zayed Military Hospital, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Healthpoint Hospital, Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, Al Ain Regional Blood Bank, UAE University, Khalifa University, and Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.

Source: Khaleej Times