Vascular Health

• Project Leader
  Professor Philippe Lehert

  phillipe.lehert@unimelb.edu.au
  

Project Details

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death both worldwide and in Australia. It is also the top cause of death in the elderly. Although older women have a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease compared to men, not only do medications that target cardivascular health not benefit women as they do men, but there is lower awareness of vascular health in women compared to men. The Healthy Ageing Program examines several factors that have been linked to vascular health, such as lifestyle factors, body mass index, and physical activity, particularly in relation to women.

Current Healthy Ageing Program projects in Vascular Health include:

• The relationship of physical activity, body composition and cardivascular risks in older women
• Lipoproteins and cardivascular risk from mid- to late-life in women
• Sex hormones and cardivascular disease in post-menopausal women
• Vitamin D levels and cardiovascular disease
• The protective effect of statins against dementia-associated cognitive decline

Researchers

• Dr Paul Yates
• Dr Karren Chen
• Dr Arti Appannah
• David Thawley
• Dennis Wang
• Daniel Watson
• James Rosewarne
• Kaman Li
• Matilda Wright

Research Outcomes

Our research in the media

• How Good Cholesterol Can Keep Women’s Brains Healthy (Pursuit, University of Melbourne, November 2018)
• Good cholesterol may lower women's dementia risk (Futurity, October 2018)
• Australians are fat and unfit but at least we are drinking and smoking less(Sydney Morning Herald, December 2015)
• Healthy Cholesterol Levels May Be Vital For Women Avoiding Dementia, According To New Research (Romper, October 2018)
• Majority of Australian women putting themselves at risk of early death (XinhuaNet, May 2017)
• Women’s Health: Unhealthy habits driving up disease and dementia (Herald Sun, May 2017)
• What’s Killing Women? (Pursuit, University of Melbourne, April 2017)
• Australians are fat and unfit but at least we are drinking and smoking less (Sydney Morning Herald, December 2015)

Research Publications