Study Participants

The British Regional Heart Study (BRHS) study was set up in 1978 to understand why heart disease and stroke rates differ across Britain. It seeks to determine the causes of these conditions in order to provide a rational basis for recommendations towards their prevention and more recently helps us to understand how health behaviours and the ageing process affect CVD in later life, and how CVD risk and cardiovascular ageing can be reduced in the elderly.

Over 7,700 men from 24 towns have been followed for almost 50 years, helping researchers see how lifestyle and ageing affect heart health. The study has produced hundreds of research papers that continue to guide the prevention of heart disease in later life.

Although active follow-up of participants ended in 2025, the BRHS data will continue to be used by researchers.

Ongoing Research

Professors Wannamethee and Ramsay, along with their research teams, continue to work with the study data, which is now securely stored with the UK Data Service.

Current research focuses on health in later life, including: the risks of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes and how these conditions may lead to disability and frailty. We are also using new scientific tools to learn more about ageing and health: Genomics – studying how our genes influence health and Metabolomics – studying tiny molecules in the body that affect how it works. Physical activity remains a key focus, as we explore how staying active supports wellbeing in older age.

We are also examining hospital admissions to understand how some stays might be prevented. By linking our study to NHS health records*, we can study important conditions such as heart disease and dementia in more detail.

*Includes data from the Cancer Registry, Hospital Episode Statistics, Mental Health Minimum Dataset, and Diagnostic Imaging Dataset