MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit
Cyrus Cooper, Director
MRC LEU; Southampton 2013
Fetus &
Infant
Aetiology
Mechanisms
Child
Intervention
Adult
Lifecourse epidemiology
Musculoskeletal ageing
Nutrition, development,
and lifelong health
Work and Health
Scientific Mission
To delineate:
•The environmental causes throughout the lifecourse of
 chronic musculoskeletal disorders
 obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease
•Population-based and high-risk preventive strategies against these disorders
Research focus Programmes Mission
Mission Programmes Research focus
MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit
2010-2015
Lifecourse determinants of health and disease
Young women’s diet, body composition, physical activity, education and
lifestyle before and during pregnancy
MECHANISMS
Developmental plastic responses
Epigenetic processes
Infant body composition & development
Weight gain and catch-up growth
Childhood body composition
and development
Infant feeding
and illnesses
Childhood diet, physical activity,
lifestyle and education
Work, lifestyle and health
behaviours in adulthood
Vulnerability to chronic
disease in later life
Retirement
and ageing
Gluckman, Hanson, Cooper et al New Engl J Med 2008; 359: 61-73 Harvey N, Cooper C
BMJ 2012; 345: e4695
Lifecourse strategy for
disease prevention
Chronic NCD
risk
Adulthood
Childhood
No intervention
Late intervention
impactful for
vulnerable groups
Late intervention
Earlier intervention
improves functional
capacity & responses
to new challenges
Mother
& infant
Early intervention
Life course
Plasticity
Inadequate response
to new challenges
Gluckman, Hanson, Cooper et al New Engl J Med 2008; 359: 61-73 Hanson M , Godfrey K et al
Prog Biophys Molec Biol 2011; 106: 272-280
Scientific Programmes
• Lifecourse determinants of bone and joint disease
• Sarcopenia, physical frailty and clinical care in older
people
• Nutrition, development and lifelong health
(Developing/transitioning populations)
• Nutrition, development and lifelong health
(Developed populations)
• Work and Health
Scientific achievements
– Maternal vitamin D insufficiency and childhood bone mineral
accrual
– Developmental origins of sarcopenia and cognitive function
– Maternal micronutrient status, birthweight and childhood
adiposity
– Self-efficacy and control as determinants of food choice
among young women
– Health beliefs, somatising tendency, physical exposures and
musculoskeletal disability