Our research strategy is based on observational and interventional population studies in middle and later life. The prospective cohort studies aim to bring together understanding of biologic processes with the capacity to address broader environmental including social determinants, of health at the population level. Intervention trials aim to test new hypotheses arising from the observational studies.
The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer is a ten country collaboration involving half a million participants. The EPIC-Norfolk cohort of 30,000 men and women aged 45-79 in Norfolk is part of this collaboration, first started in 1993 and continuing to the present. EPIC – Norfolk has been expanded substantially to enable study of the determinants of major chronic diseases. There is particular emphasis on more accurate, validated and objective methods to measure complex individual behaviours such as diet and physical activity; biological profiling including blood nutrient and hormone levels, markers of inflammation, haemostasis and glucose metabolism, and physiologic measures such as bone sonometry; and assessment of a whole range of health outcomes including functional health, mortality and disease incidence.
The Cambridge General Practice Study has a particular focus on bone health and comprises 8,000 men and women aged 45-79 first seen in 1990-1992, five thousand of whom had bone densitometry at baseline. Subgroups have had longitudinal measure of bone densitometry to identify predictors of change.
The Vitamin D and Hip Fracture Study is a population based double blind randomised 5 year trial in 2,800 men and women aged 65 to examine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on fractures and general health.
Research Grant Support
Programme grants from:
Other research grant support from: