A cross-sectional study analyzed survey data of U.S. adults to compare the benefits of race-aware versus race-unaware predictions for disease risk.
Tag: Disease Risk
Exercise More, Sit Less to Manage Frailty and Hypertension Risk in Aging
A new study of middle-age and older adults looks at sex differences in frailty levels and their link with heart health. The findings suggest that moving your body more through regular exercise and sitting less can help keep both heart disease and frailty at bay as we age.
Groundbreaking genomics project will improve global diversity in population health insight
An international collaboration is aiming to improve global health by uncovering the effects of genomic and environmental diversity on differences in disease risk observed across the global population, thanks to a new partnership of 20 research groups from around the world.
UCLA biobank study reveals disease risk, heath care use among LA’s diverse population
The research underscores the limitations of the health care system’s frequent reliance on broad self-reported race and ethnicity data to assess patients’ risk of developing disease, and the findings also support expanding genetic screening to more groups.
Alcohol Use, Even at Low Levels, Increases Risk of Developing Disease
Even low levels of alcohol use can increase the likelihood of developing diseases like cancer and heart disease. A systematic review of studies of the relationship between alcohol use and risk of disease published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research found that disease risk increases as alcohol use increases and high levels of alcohol use have clear detrimental health effects. While lower-level alcohol use can be protective against certain diseases, it can have significant adverse health effects for many other diseases. The authors urge greater awareness that any level of alcohol use can increase a person’s risk of developing serious, even fatal, diseases.
Machine-learning technique identifies people who would benefit most from treatment to reduce future cardiovascular disease risk
New UCLA research suggests that a novel machine-learning technique known as “causal forest” was about five times more efficient than the current clinical practice of treating patients with high blood pressure.
Meeting sleep recommendations could lead to smarter snacking
Missing out on the recommended seven or more hours of sleep per night could lead to more opportunities to make poorer snacking choices than those made by people who meet shut-eye guidelines, a new study suggests.
Schizophrenia Study Suggests Advanced Genetic Scorecard Cannot Predict a Patient’s Fate
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that a tool commonly used in research for evaluating a person’s genetic risk for a disease, called a polygenic risk score, was no better at predicting the outcome of a schizophrenia patient’s disease over time than written reports. The results raise important questions about the use of polygenic risk scores in real-world, clinical situations, and also suggest that a doctor’s written report may be an untapped source of predictive information.
UCLA Health receives $4.8M NIH grant to improve genetic estimates of disease risk in diverse populations
UCLA Health will receive a $4.8 million grant from The National Institutes of Health to develop methods that will improve genetic risk estimates – polygenic risk scores – for specific diseases in people from diverse populations and mixed ancestries.