News / Huge health study targets Shetland
SCIENTISTS from Edinburgh University are looking to recruit 2,000 people in Shetland to take part in a major study to help fight life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Described as one of the biggest studies of its kind, the Viking Health Study will give researchers vital clues how genes affect people’s health.
They chose Shetland for their research because the gene pool in the isles is “relatively stable” compared to urban populations. Because of that disease-linked genes can more easily identified, the researchers say.
Following on from a similar study carried out in Orkney a few years ago, this new project will also dig deeper into the Norse heritage of the northern isles.
Dr Jim Wilson, from the university’s centre for population health studies said they would invite volunteers to visit a clinic in Lerwick for a thorough health check.
This would involve taking a number of measurements, including weight, blood pressure and heart rhythm.
Participants will also be asked to give a blood sample to test for cholesterol, blood sugar and liver function as well as providing a bio bank of DNA and blood samples for future studies.
Volunteers will also have ultrasound scans and other tests to determine whether their arteries have hardened.
Wilson said: “If we hope to find better ways of diagnosing and treating conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, we must first understand what causes them on a very basic level.
“Research like this helps us to understand how our genes interact with our environment and behaviour to affect our health.
“In this way the Viking Health Study should benefit future generations across Scotland and beyond.”
The Shetland based research forms part of a £5.3 million project awarded by the Medical Research Council to the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine to study health and disease.
“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people in volunteering in their thousands for our Orkney project. I hope that the people of Shetland will feel similarly excited about being part of such important health research,” Wilson added.
Anyone who is interested in taking part in the study should contact members of the research team on 0131 651 5141 or 0131 651 5575.
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