Lifestyle influences on the vascular endothelium for heart health

The study will investigate the relationships between lifestyle behaviours (nutrition/diet quality, physical activity) and endothelial dysfunction, measured via Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD). The risk of developing heart disease can be indicated by measuring someone’s FMD in the morning, after fasting overnight. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are compounds that form naturally in our bodies when sugars attach to proteins or fats. Some people produce too many AGEs, which can increase the risk of future health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Apart from the AGEs produced inside our body, AGEs can also enter our body when eat highly processed foods (foods that have been heated at high temperatures). Elevated AGEs in the body increase oxidative stress and cause blood vessel stiffness as a result of their crosslinking with long lived proteins. A machine called an AGE Reader is used to measure the level of AGEs in the skin by shining a UV light on your forearm. This will be used to assess associations between FMD and skin AGEs. After completion of a physical activity questionnaire, a general demographics survey and the food record participants will attend a testing session on a single occasion in the morning, following an overnight fast from 9 pm (water is allowed). On the morning of the testing session, the participants will collect a first-void, mid-stream urine sample. During the testing session, anthropometry, skin AGEs level and FMD will be measured. A fasting blood sample for analysis of metabolic and acute and chronic inflammatory markers will also be taken. The estimated time commitment required from each participant is one 90-minute testing session plus 4 days to complete the 4-day food record, physical activity and a demographics questionnaire.