Skeletal Maturation and Endocrine Health in Young Adults

Plain-language summary

Diseases which can be the result of poor lifestyle choices in adult life, such as osteoporosis, obesity or poor muscle mass (sarcopenia) can also be driven by heritable genetic factors. More surprisingly, perhaps, the genes we inherit from our parents can be modified as a result of influences that affected the health and pregnancy of our mothers and hence the environment experienced in the womb and at birth. The purpose of this study is to investigate which factors are needed for good bone health and hormonal health in young adulthood as well as good muscle mass and normal fat mass, and how this is influenced by factors before birth and by childhood health. Specifically, we will measure bone mass and body composition in young adults (18 years of age) and measure hormones in blood and in hair samples. The clinical visits will be available nationwide at several centers to make participation swift and easy for participants. The changes (known as epigenetic modification) to genes at birth will be studied in dried blood spot samples stored from birth 18 years ago in the Danish Serum Institute and we will use national health registers to identify factors during pregnancy and in childhood that contribute to health effects at age 18.

Who can participate

What they're measuring

Trial details