The aim of the lifestyle theme is to develop personalised lifestyle interventions (centred around physical activity) that are effective in the prevention and management of chronic disease. Research will focus on exploring the full spectrum of physical activity, from standing breaks to high intensity exercise, as therapies in modifying disease processes linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes to examining interactions between sedentary behaviour, physical activity, diet, sleep, and pharmaceutical therapies in the promotion of cardiometabolic* health.
We aim to:
- Tailor lifestyle interventions based on genetic make-up
- Investigate the impact of breaking prolonged sitting with different types of exercise on glucose control and metabolic risk factors.
- Investigate the frequency, intensity and duration of resistance training required to reverse intramuscular abnormalities and restore physical function in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and sarcopenic obesity (low muscle mass and high levels of fat) within other chronic diseases
- Optimise the use of physical activity and diet for appetite regulation and investigate interactions with incretin therapy (hormones to reduce blood sugar)
- Quantify the impact of chronotype (how someone behaves based on their sleep patterns) on metabolic health Utilise the strengths across the BRC by embedding our portfolio of experimental lifestyle research within cardiovascular and respiratory disease through the cross-cutting theme
*Cardiometabolic is a relatively new term that covers heart health and how energy is made available in our bodies.