Fatty acids & Outcomes Research Consortium (FORCE)
Overview
In 2009, the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium was formed to facilitate genome-wide association study meta-analyses among longitudinal cohort studies.
Our collaborative group, the Fatty acids & Outcomes Research Consortium (FORCE), has been formed within the conceptual framework of CHARGE to understand the relationships between fatty acids from the diet and metabolic processes, measured using biomarkers, on chronic disease outcomes. We invite all longitudinal studies with fatty acid biomarker data and ascertained events to participate. After joining our consortium:
- Any investigator from participating studies can propose and lead specific projects/manuscripts
- Investigators can choose to collaborate or not collaborate on specific projects/manuscripts
- Raw data from each study will not be centrally collected. Instead, each study will perform its own analysis using a standardized analysis plan and results from participating studies will be pooled for meta-analysis
- Investigators can provide feedback and suggestions on specific papers/analyses conducted within the pooling project group through regular conference calls (bi-monthly)
All collaborating studies agree to abide by the principles set forth by the CHARGE consortium, including: transparency, collaboration, timely communication, effective coordination, and sharing of responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities among cohort members.
STRENGTHS OF POOLED ANALYSES
- The larger sample sizes of pooled analyses will substantially increase statistical power to investigate associations, and importantly, assess potential key effect modifiers, enabling the pooling project to discover important relationships not discernible in any individual cohort
- Standardization of variable definitions and modeling of associations will reduce variation and potential bias in estimates across cohorts
- Results will be far less susceptible to publication bias, as included estimates will not depend on prior publication of specific biomarker-endpoint associations
COLLABORATING COHORTS
AGES-Reykjavik
Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)
Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS)
Chin-Shan Community Cardiovascular Cohort (CCCC)
Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS)
Costa-Rican Adults Study
European Investigation into Cancer InterAct
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (in Norfolk) (EPIC-Norfolk)
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Potsdam Study (EPIC-Potsdam)
European study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction and Cancer (EURAMIC)
Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study
Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS)
Invecchiare in Chianti (InCHIANTI)
Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD)
Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS)
METabolic Syndrome in Men (METSIM)
Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases I
Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases II
Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases III
Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
Northern Sweden Health & Disease Study I & II (NSHDS I & II)
Northern Sweden Health & Disease Study III
Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS)
Scottish Hearth Health Extended Cohort Study (SHHECS)
Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS)
Stockholm cohort of 60 year olds (60-YO)
Sydney Memory and Ageing Study
The Folic Acid and Carotid Intima-media Thickness Study (FACIT)
The George Institute for Global Health, FORCE Contributor
Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men (ULSAM)
WHIMS (Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study)
FUNDING SUPPORT
Consortium projects on omega-6 fatty acids in relation to cardiovascular disease and diabetes were mainly funded by local grants, whereas some cohorts received partial funding provided by a unrestricted grant from UNILEVER. Other projects of the collaborative group have been partially unfunded.
Cohort Funding
ARIC was supported by the NHLBI (HHSN268201100005C, HHSN268201100006C, HHSN268201100007C, HHSN268201100008C, HHSN268201100009C, HHSN268201100010C, HHSN268201100011C, and HHSN268201100012C)
CHS was supported by contracts HHSN268201200036C, HHSN268200800007C, N01HC55222, N01HC85079, N01HC85080, N01HC85081, N01HC85082, N01HC85083, N01HC85086, and grant U01HL080295 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with additional contribution from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Additional support was provided by R01AG023629 from the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
The Costa-Rican Adults study was supported by grant R01HL081549
EURAMIC was supported by the Commission of the European Communities, as a Concerted Action within Directorate General-XII, with additional support from Directorate General-V Europe Against Cancer. The national studies were financed by the Dutch Ministry of Health; Ulster Cancer Foundation and Milk Intervention Board; grant AKT76 from Cancer Research Switzerland; Swiss National Science Foundation Grant 32-9257-87; Spanish FIS & Ministry of Science and Education, and German Federal Health Office.
EPIC-Norfolk was funded by grants from Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK. Dr. Imamura also received support from the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit Core Support (MC_UU_12015/5)
FHS was supported by N01-HC-25195
HPFS was supported by the NIH grants AA11181, HL35464, CA55075, HL60712 and P30 DK46200
The InChianti study was supported as a ‘targeted project’ (ICS 110.1\RS97.71) by the Italian Ministry of Health and in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH (Contracts N01-AG-916413 and N01-AG-821336 and Contracts 263 MD 9164 13 and 263 MD 821336)
KIND was supported by grants from the Academy of Finland, Helsinki, Finland (grants 41471, 1041086)
MCCS (Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study) was funded by VicHealth and Cancer Council Victoria
MESA and the MESA SHARe project are conducted and supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in collaboration with MESA investigators. Support for MESA is provided by contracts N01-HC-95159, N01-HC-95160, N01-HC-95161, N01-HC-95162, N01-HC-95163, N01-HC-95164, N01-HC-95165, N01-HC-95166, N01-HC-95167, N01-HC-95168, N01-HC-95169 and CTSA UL1-RR-024156
NSHDS I & II was supported by the Swedish Cancer Society and the Swedish Research Council
NHS I was supported by research grants P01CA87969, R01HL034594, and R01HL088521 of the National Institutes of Health
PHS was supported by grant R21 HL088081, from the NHLBI, Bethesda, MD. The Physicians’ Health Study is supported by grants CA-34944 and CA-40360, and CA-097193 from the National Cancer Institute and grants HL-26490 and HL-34595 from the NHLBI
The Three-City (3C) study was conducted under a partnership agreement between the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), the University Bordeaux 2 Victor Segalen and Sanofi-Aventis. The Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale funded the preparation and initiation of the study. The 3C study was also supported by the Caisse Nationale Maladie des Travailleurs Salariés, Direction Générale de la Santé, MGEN, Institut de la Longévité, Conseils Régionaux d’Aquitaine et Bourgogne, Fondation de France, Ministry of Research-INSERM Programme “Cohortes et collections de données biologiques”, Agence Nationale de la Recherche (grant number COGINUT ANR-06-PNRA-005), the Fondation Plan Alzheimer (grant number FCS 2009-2012), and the Caisse Nationale pour la Solidarité et l’Autonomie (CNSA) . Dr Samieri was on a grant from the “Fondation Plan Alzheimer”
SHHECS was funded by the Scottish Health Department Chief Scientist Organization; British Heart Foundation; FP Fleming Trust
SCHS was supported by the Singapore National Medical Research Council (grant number: NMRC 1270/2010) and the U.S. NIH (grant numbers: R01CA 144034 and UM1 CA182876)
ULSAM 50 and 70 were funded by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE) Uppsala City Council (ALF) and Swedish Research Council
PROJECTS
Dairy Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease
Lead Authors: Andre Ardisson Korat, Frank Qian
Very Long-Chain Saturated Fatty Acids and Coronary Heart Disease
Lead Authors: Andres Ardisson Korat, Frank Qian
Very Long-Chain Saturated Fatty Acids and Chronic Kidney Disease
Lead Authors: Amanda Fretts, Rozenn Lemaitre
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Total and Cause-Specific Mortality
Lead Authors: Bill Harris, Nathan Tintle
Trans Fatty Acids and Type 2 Diabetes
Lead Author: Heidi Lai
Fatty Acid Distribution and Inter-Correlations in Different Lipid Fractions
Lead Author: Maria Lankinen
Family History of Cardiovascular Disease and Intake of Dietary Fat
Lead Authors: Karin Leander, Federica Laguzzi
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Chronic Kidney Disease
Lead Authors: Jason Wu, Matti Marklund, Kwok Leung Ong
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Sleep
Lead Author: Rachel Murphy
Very Long-Chain Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Congestive Heart Failure
Lead Authors: Xiongfei Pan, Matti Marklund, Jason Wu
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Type 2 Diabetes
Lead Authors: Frank Qian, Andres Ardisson Korat, Qi Sun
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Congestive Heart Failure
Lead Authors: Bruce (Guohai) Zhou, Luc Djousse
Project Aims
Aim 1
To understand the relationships between fatty acids from our diet and metabolic processes, measured using biomarkers, on chronic disease outcomes (cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other conditions).
Project Details
Principal investigator
Director, Food is Medicine Institute, Distinguished Professor, Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy