Abstract
In the longitudinal Young Finns study, cardiovascular risk factors were first assessed in 1980 in 3,596 children aged 3–18 years. The latest follow-up examinations were performed in 2001 and 2007, when risk factors and early markers of atherosclerosis in carotid and brachial arteries were examined among 2,653 subjects from the original cohorts, now aged 24–45 years. The results show that an individual’s risk factor profile is regulated by early lifestyle-related factors and that exposure to risk factors in childhood induces changes in arteries that contribute to the development of atherosclerosis in adulthood. In the STRIP study, 1,062 infants were randomized into an intervention group (n = 540; low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol diet) or a control group (n = 522) at 7 mo of age in 1989. STRIP has demonstrated the benefits, e.g. improved lipid levels and brachial endothelial function, of low-saturated-fat diet that could be initiated at an early age. In addition, active exercise habits and non-smoking should be encouraged since they influence vascular endothelial function in childhood. No stronger justification for aiming at improvement of CVD risk factor levels, including serum cholesterol values, blood pressure and obesity, can be provided.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReference
Keys A, Aravanis C, Blackburn HW et al (1996) Epidemiological studies related to coronary heart disease: characteristics of men aged 40–59 in seven countries. Acta Med Scand Suppl 460:1–392
Enos WF, Holmes RH, Beyer J (1953) Coronary disease among United States soldiers killed in action in Korea: preliminary report. JAMA 152:1090–1093
Srinivasan SR, Frerichs RR, Berenson GS (1978) Serum lipids and lipoproteins in children. In: Strong WB (ed) Atherosclerosis: its pediatric aspects. Grune & Stratton, New York, 85–110
Berenson GS (1985) Epidemiologic investigations of cardiovascular risk factor variables in childhood—an overview. Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 318:7–9
Åkerblom HK, Viikari J, Uhari M et al (1985) Atherosclerosis precursors in Finnish children and adolescents. I. General description of the cross-sectional study of 1980, and an account of the children’s and families’ state of health. Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 318:49–63
Raitakari OT, Juonala M, Rönnemaa T et al (2008) Cohort profile: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Int J Epidemiol 37:1220–1226
Raitakari OT, Juonala M, Kähönen M et al (2003) Cardiovascular risk factors in childhood and carotid artery intima-media thickness in adulthood—the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. JAMA 290:2277–2283
Juonala M, Viikari JSA, Rönnemaa T et al (2006) Elevated blood pressure in adolescent boys predicts endothelial dysfunction: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Hypertension 48:424–430
Juonala M, Järvisalo MJ, Mäki-Torkko N et al (2005) Risk factors identified in childhood and decreased carotid artery elasticity in adulthood. The cardiovascular eisk in Young Finns Study. Circulation 112:1489–1496
Gidding SS (2006) New cholesterol guidelines for children? Circulation 114:989–991
Juonala M, Viikari JSA, Kähönen M et al (2010) Life-time risk factors and progression of carotid atherosclerosis in young adults. The cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Eur Heart J 31:1745–1751
Mattsson N, Rönnemaa T, Juonala M et al (2008) Childhood predictors of the metabolic syndrome in adulthood. The cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Ann Med 40:542–552
Mattsson N, Rönnemaa T, Juonala M et al (2008) Arterial structure and function in young adults with the metabolic syndrome: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Eur Heart J 29:784–791
Koskinen J, Kähönen M, Viikari JS et al (2009) Conventional cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome in predicting carotid intima-media thickness progression in young adults: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Circulation 120:229–236
Koskinen J, Magnussen CG, Taittonen L et al (2010) Arterial structure and function after recovery from the metabolic syndrome: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Circulation 121:392–400
Lapinleimu H, Viikari J, Jokinen E et al (1995) Prospective randomized trial in 1062 infants of diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Lancet 345:471–476
Simell O, Niinikoski H, Rönnemaa T et al (2008) Cohort profile: the STRIP study (Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project), an infancy-onset dietary and life-style intervention trial. Int J Epidemiol 38:650–655
Niinikoski H, Lagström H, Jokinen E et al (2007) Impact of repeated dietary counseling between infancy and 14 years of age on dietary intakes and serum lipids and lipoproteins: the STRIP study. Circulation 116:1032–1040
Rask-Nissila L, Jokinen E, Terho P et al (2000) Neurological development of 5-year-old children receiving a low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet since infancy—a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 284:993–1000
Raitakari OT, Rönnemaa T, Järvisalo MJ et al (2005) Endothelial function in healthy 11-year-old children after dietary intervention with onset in infancy: the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project for children (STRIP). Circulation 112:3786–3794
Pahkala K, Heinonen OJ, Lagström H et al (2008) Vascular endothelial function and leisure-time physical activity in adolescents. Circulation 118:2353–2359
Kallio K, Jokinen E, Raitakari OT et al (2007) Tobacco smoke exposure is associated with attenuated endothelial function in 11-year-old healthy children. Circulation 115:3205–3212
Magnussen CG, Raitakari OT, Thomson R et al (2008) Utility of currently recommended pediatric dyslipidemia classifications in predicting dyslipidemia in adulthood: evidence from the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health (CDAH) study, cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study, and Bogalusa Heart Study. Circulation 117:32–42
Magnussen CG, Venn A, Thomson R et al (2009) The association of pediatric LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol dyslipidemia classifications and change in dyslipidemia status with carotid intima-media thickness in adulthood: evidence from the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study, the Bogalusa Heart Study, and the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health (CDAH) study. JACC 53:860–869
Magnussen CG, Koskinen J, Chen W et al (2010) Pediatric metabolic syndrome predicts adulthood metabolic syndrome, subclinical atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes mellitus but is no better than body mass index alone: the Bogalusa Heart Study and the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Circulation 122:1604–1611
Juonala M, Magnussen CG, Venn A et al (2010) The influence of age on associations between childhood risk factors and carotid intima-media thickness in adulthood. The cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study, the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health Study, the Bogalusa Heart Study and the Muscatine Study for the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort (i3C) Consortium. Circulation 122:2514–2520
Li S, Chen W, Srinivasan SR et al (2003) Childhood cardiovascular risk factors and carotid vascular changes in adulthood: the Bogalusa Heart Study. JAMA 290:2271–2276
Davis PH, Dawson JD, Riley WA et al (2001) Carotid intimal-medial thickness is related to cardiovascular risk factors measured from childhood through middle age: the Muscatine Study. Circulation 104:2815–2819
Newman WP, III, Freedman DS, Voors AW et al (1986) Relation of serum lipoprotein levels and systolic blood pressure to early atherosclerosis. The Bogalusa Heart Study. N Engl J Med 314:138–144
Berenson GS, Srinivasan SR, Bao W et al (1998) Association between multiple cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis in children and young adults. The Bogalusa Heart Study. N Engl J Med 338:1650–1656
Capewell S, Lloyd-Jones DM (2010) Optimal cardiovascular prevention strategies for the 21st century. JAMA 304:2057–2058
Juonala M, Viikari JSA, Laitinen T et al (2004) Interrelations between brachial endothelial function and carotid intima-media thickness in young adults. The cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Circulation 110:2918–2923
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Juonala, M., Magnussen, C.G., Simell, O., Niinikoski, H., Raitakari, O.T., Viikari, J.S. (2011). The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study and the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP). In: Berenson, G. (eds) Evolution of Cardio-Metabolic Risk from Birth to Middle Age:. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1451-9_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1451-9_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-1450-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-1451-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)