Nutritional Epidemiology

An apple a day . . . Accumulating evidence of a link between diet and prevalent chronic disease has led to new investigations in nutritional epidemiology.

What is Nutritional Epidemiology?

Nutritional epidemiology is an area of epidemiology that involves research to: Examine the role of nutrition in the etiology of disease. Monitor the nutritional status of populations. Develop and evaluate interventions to achieve and maintain healthful eating patterns among populations. Nutrition/disease relationships through application of epidemiologic methods. Characterization of various exposures to food/nutrient intakes, biological basis for nutrition/disease relationships. Studies of specific chronic diseases and nutritional intake. Design/interpretation of studies using nutritional measures. http://www.sph.umn.edu/epi/research/nutrition/index.asp 04:56 18 september 2011

Nutritional Epidemiology
Nutritional epidemiology is an area of epidemiology that involves research to:

Examine the role of nutrition in the etiology of disease. Monitor the nutritional status of populations.

Develop and evaluate interventions to achieve and maintain healthful eating patterns among populations. Examine the relationship and synergy between nutrition and physical activity in health and disease

http://depts.washington.edu/epidem/research/Nutritional_Epidemiology.shtml 05:07 18 sept 2011

Nutritional Epidemiology Nita Forouhi

For decades it has been recognised that diet and nutrition are important in the management of people with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Now there is also evidence that a healthy and balanced diet is a key way of preventing the development of these conditions. It is still unclear, however, whether whole diets, dietary patterns or individual foods and nutrients are most associated with a persons future risk of developing diabetes and obesity. The goal of our research is to improve our understanding of the role that diet and nutrition play in the development of diabetes, obesity and related disorders. The specific objectives of our research are to:

study the relationship between diet and nutrition and the risk of developing diabetes and obesity develop and use improved methods to assess diet understand the key determinants of dietary behaviour.

Traditionally, diet has been assessed in research studies by self-reported questionnaires such as the food frequency questionnaire. However, these can be associated with issues of possible under-reporting and measurement error. We aim to use methods with greater precision such as food records. These record food intake forward in time. We also use more objective, biological markers of nutrition, called nutritional biomarkers. For example, we can use blood levels of vitamin C as a biomarker for fruit and vegetable intake. We recently reported that the risk of developing new-onset type 2 diabetes was associated with decreasing blood levels of vitamin C, representing an objective biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake. However, the association of diabetes risk with fruit and vegetable intake that was self-reported through a questionnaire was weaker and less convincing. The development and use of other objective biomarkers of nutritional status will help us to address some of the previous uncertainties in nutritional epidemiological studies. We are also examining the effects of eating habits or dietary behaviours on the risk of diabetes and obesity. We have reported that the risk of weight gain over time can be reduced by re-distributing the proportion of daily calories consumed at various stages of the day. By consuming the greater proportion of calories earlier in the day (eating breakfast), with a lower proportion of calories consumed later in the day, the risk of

weight gain can be reduced. In new studies we are collecting information to assess the impact of snacking and eating outside of the home. We are also working with colleagues to understand the key determinants of dietary behaviour, and investigate how such determinants may modify the association between diet and disease. http://www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/Research/Programmes/Programme_3/ 05:24 18 sept 2011

Nutritional Epidemiology & Data Systems

The Nutrition Epidemiology Program serves as a focus for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data on nutritional disorders and obesity. The program (1) identifies the data needed to address the scientific and public health issues in nutritional disorders and obesity; (2) addresses the epidemiology of nutritional disorders of public health significance, with particular emphasis on national surveys and their follow-up; (3) promotes the timely availability of reliable data to pertinent scientific, medical, and public organizations; (4) promotes the standardization of data collection and terminology in clinical and epidemiological research; and (5) works closely with members of the scientific community to develop investigator-initiated research in the epidemiology of nutritional disorders and obesity. The program encourages research that addresses risk factors for disease occurrence and disease prognosis or natural history. The program also supports databases and biological repositories that support clinical and epidemiological studies in nutritional disorders and obesity. For more information, contact Dr. James Everhart, Director of the Epidemiology and Data Systems Branch. http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/Research/ScientificAreas/Obesity/ClinicalStudies/NUEP.htm 05:25 18 sept 2011