The German National Cohort (NAKO)
The German National Cohort (NAKO Gesundheitsstudie) is Germany’s largest long-term population study, in which more than 205,000 randomly selected people are examined comprehensively in 18 study centres.
At the start of the study in 2014, the NAKO participants were aged between 20 and 69.
With data on lifestyle, environment and genetics, the German National Cohort (NAKO) contributes to prevention and personalised health care. A unique project that will have a long-term impact on medical research and health prevention.
What makes us ill? What keeps us healthy?
The German National Cohort (NAKO) aims to better understand the causes of common diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases, to recognise risk factors and to identify ways of effective prevention. Possibilities for the early detection of diseases are also to be identified.
In the long term, the scientists hope to find answers to the following questions:
- How do common diseases develop?
- Are there factors that favour their development and frequency?
- What role do our genes, the environmental influences to which we are exposed, social factors or our lifestyle play?
- Can we protect ourselves against diseases?
- How can diseases be identified at an early stage?
What makes the study unique?
With its scale and depth of detail, the German National Cohort (NAKO) is the only study of its kind – also in comparison with other studies:
- 205,000 citizens are taking part in the study.
- Standardised medical examinations: i.e. in all study centres, the medical tests and interviews are carried out according to identical schedules, the so-called Standard Operating Procedure – SOP for short. This ensures that the data collected is comparable.
- The participants cover a wide age range. Younger age groups from the age of 20 are also involved in the study.
- The study participants are examined and surveyed regularly. In the meantime, a baseline and a second examination as well as two interim postal surveys (health survey) have taken place. The third medical examination and survey of all participants will start in 2024.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has so far been carried out on 30,000 study participants in five selected centres.
- In order to make the data internationally comparable, the selection of examinations is based on the structure of other European studies.
- The study also collects data on infectious diseases and immunological issues.
- Over the course of the study, around 28 million biosamples were collected and are available for scientific research.
Who is running the German National Cohort (NAKO)?
The German National Cohort (NAKO) is an interdisciplinary research project supported by 26 organisations. The study is being carried out by the NAKO e.V. association. It is financed by public funds from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Helmholtz Association and the participating federal states.
Video about the German National Cohort (NAKO)
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information