Evolutionary mismatch and life-history evolution underlying modern disease susceptibility in Quebec founder populations
Many chronic diseases, including breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and age-related conditions, are influenced by both genetic factors and the environment. This project aims to better understand how Quebec’s unique demographic history, shaped by founder effects and the expansion of French-Canadian populations across different regions of the province, continues to influence health today.
The research team will study how reproductive life-history traits, such as age at puberty, age at menopause, age at first childbirth, reproductive lifespan, and number of children, are associated with the risk of chronic diseases. Using CARTaGENE’s genetic, environmental, health, and genealogical data, the project will examine how the rapid lifestyle changes that occurred over the last century, including urbanization, shifts in lifestyle habits, and delayed parenthood, interact with inherited genetic factors. The study will also investigate biological aging and the natural accumulation of certain mutations in blood cells over time, a process that has been linked to several age-related diseases.
By integrating genetics, environmental factors, biological aging, and health data, this research will help improve understanding of why some individuals are more susceptible than others to chronic diseases and may support the development of more personalized prevention strategies for the Quebec population.
- Genetics and genomics
- Chronic diseases
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- Questionnaire data
- Genetic data
- Linked data
- Physical and cognitive measures
- Biochemical and hematological data