Dear Colleagues,

We would like to welcome you to the 5th Edition of the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk (ICCR) Congress, which is now entitled “ICCR Congress on Chronic Societal Cardiometabolic Diseases”. This conference is jointly organised by the ICCR and the Réseau de recherche en santé cardiométabolique, diabète et obésité (CMDO) (Cardiometabolic Health, Diabetes and Obesity Network). The ICCR is a multidisciplinary academic organisation based at the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec which is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of Université Laval located in Québec City, Canada. The CMDO is a large network of investigators covering all pillars of health research relevant to chronic cardiometabolic diseases. This unique network is funded by the Fonds de la recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQ-S).

As a consequence of our poor nutritional habits and sedentary lifestyle, we have experienced a rapid growth in the worldwide prevalence of type 2 diabetes, which is largely a “lifestyle” disease. Most patients with type 2 diabetes are sedentary and characterised by a dangerous form of overweight/obesity: abdominal obesity. It is now well known that abdominal obesity increases the risk of developing a plethora of complications such as an atherogenic dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, features of the so-called metabolic syndrome, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea and some forms of cancers, to only list a few of the well-documented disorders. Unfortunately, it has become evident that the worldwide epidemic of abdominal obesity cannot be handled by the current medical model in which these complications are most often managed by downstream and costly medical procedures/therapies. Furthermore, these complications are often evaluated and managed in isolation without the help of the proper multidisciplinary resources to improve patients’ nutritional and physical activity/exercise habits.

There is clearly a need to take a fresh look at this societal disease and to explore not only how to better assess and manage the risk of abdominal obesity, but also how to work upstream at both individual and public health levels to combat this epidemic of abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes as these conditions remain key drivers of cardiovascular disease.

The 5th Edition of this congress will build upon the success of the four previous meetings held in Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Québec City and Seoul. With more than 60 countries involved, the conference has an international flavour and truly fills a need in this area. Over a short period of 5 years, this new congress has rapidly become the international platform to discuss novel approaches and share scientific and clinical data to benefit healthcare professionals, clinicians and scientists in the fight against a lifestyle epidemic of sedentary behaviours and low quality nutritional habits leading to chronic societal diseases.

As the ICCR is based at the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec and at the Faculty of Medicine of Université Laval, we are particularly proud to welcome you to beautiful Québec City, for this exciting scientific event. The meeting will take place during our famous Summer Festival with numerous activities and exciting outdoor concerts.

Please enjoy the meeting and the comfortable and relaxed atmosphere of having a conference in the summertime in beautiful Québec City!

Sincerely yours,

Jean-Claude Coubard, Congress Chairman of ICCR

Jean-Pierre Després, Congress Chairman of ICCR