Nutritional epidemiology

Nutritional epidemiology uses epidemiological methods to examine associations between diet and disease. In the research group, we investigate whether dietary composition influtences the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer. We use large population studies, mainly the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort, which was established in the 90s and consists of 28.098 individuals. Malmö Diet and Cancer have great opportunities to clarify nutrition relationships, as dietary data have high relative validity. Clear information about dietary influence is of great significance for public health because eating habits, in contrast to many other factors, can change during the life cycle.

Ongoing projects

• Role of sugar consumption for development of cardiometabolic risk: clarifying the long-term effect by taking genetic factors and objective markers into account (grant support: Swedish Research Council 2017-2020, Heart and Lung Foundation 2017-2019, Crafoord 2016, Påhlsson 2015, ALF 2015-2018).
• Role of genetic variation in the salivary amylase gene (AMY1) and starch intake on obesity and cardiometabolic risk (Swedish Research Council 2017-2020, Heart and Lung Foundation 2018-2019, Påhlsson 2017-2018, Crafoord 2016).
• Diary products and health outcomes

Group members

Emily Sonestedt, PI

Joana Alves Dias, post doc

Stina Ramne, PhD student

Kjell Olsson, PhD student

Esther González Padilla, master student

Aida Koder Hamid, student

Elisabet Wirfält, professor emerita

Group picture Nutritional epidemiology