Tarahumara (Rarámuri) Health Project

Blood pressure increases with age in Western societies; however, populations that live as hunter-gatherers and subsistence farmers rarely develop cardiovascular disease and do not have age-related increases in blood pressure. The mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of cardiovascular health with aging are not clear. A mismatch between the conditions that postindustrialized populations inhabit – low levels of physical activity, less daily and seasonal thermal stress and ultra-processed diets – likely drive the increasing blood pressure with age. By examining cardiovascular structure and function, blood volume and fight-or-flight activation in a cohort of rural Tarahumara subsistence farmers, recently urbanized Tarahumara in Chihuahua and Mestizo in Chihuahua, we will test the hypothesis that the urban populations, but not the Tarahumara subsistence farmers, will present increased arterial stiffness, reduced plasma volume and increased fight-or-flight activation with aging. This will help us to identify the underlying processes leading to high blood pressure in postindustrialized populations and direct avenues of future research to promote healthy aging.

Faculty Supervisor:

Robert Shave

Student:

Partner:

Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program: