Metabolic Epidemiology Branch
Defining the relationships between diet, energy balance, hormones, tobacco, and cancer
Investigators in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch (MEB) conduct interdisciplinary research to understand the role of metabolic and lifestyle exposures in causing and preventing cancer. Some of the potentially modifiable exposures we study include diet, hormones, physical activity, and tobacco. We study how these exposures relate to a broad variety of cancers with researchers focusing on breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, liver, stomach, ovary, pancreas, prostate, and testis. We use traditional epidemiological methods combined with a variety of molecular methods including genomic analysis, metabolomics, microbiomics, and molecular pathology.
Research Mission
MEB’s research mission is to conduct collaborative high-impact epidemiological research on metabolic and lifestyle causes of cancer that will guide prevention and early intervention strategies worldwide.
We define causal relationships between diet, energy balance, hormones, tobacco, and cancer. Learn more about MEB research areas.
Fellowships
Training and mentoring the next generation of scientists is a key component of MEB’s mission. We provide research training for tenure-track investigators, postdoctoral fellows, doctoral students, masters and post-baccalaureate students, visiting fellows, and summer interns.
Research News from MEB
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Biomarker for Diets High in Ultra-processed Foods
Researchers, led by Dr. Erikka Loftfield in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, have identified patterns of metabolites in blood and urine that can be used as an objective measure of an individual’s consumption of energy from ultra-processed foods. They used these data to develop a poly-metabolite score that could one day reduce the reliance on self-reported dietary intake.
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Life Course Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status Associated with Premature Mortality
In an analysis led by Dr. Wayne Lawrence and colleagues, using data from 12,610 Black and White men and women living in the United States, low neighborhood socioeconomic status experienced during young to middle adulthood was associated with higher risk of premature mortality. The relationship was most pronounced among women.
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Taking Daily Multivitamin Not Associated with Lower Risk of Death
The latest NCI Media Advisory featured research led by Erikka Loftfield, investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch (MEB), which showed that daily multivitamin use was not associated with lower risk of death.
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Think Tank on Advancing Gastric Cancer Prevention
On May 17th at the Shady Grove Campus, the NCI hosted the first Think Tank on Advancing Gastric Cancer Prevention, a forum for a multidisciplinary group of gastric cancer experts to review the state of the science and collaboratively identify critical knowledge gaps.
Select Publications
View a list of MEB publications.
- Abar L et al. Identification and Validation of Poly-Metabolite Scores for Diets High in Ultra-Processed Food: An Observational Study and Post-Hoca Randomized Controlled Crossover-Feeding Trial. PLOS Medicine. 2025
- Watts EL et al. Physical activity, metabolites, and breast cancer associations. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2024.
- Lawrence WR et al. Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage Across Life Course and Premature Mortality. JAMA NO. 2024.
- Loftfield E et al. Multivitamin Use and Mortality Risk in 3 Prospective U.S. Cohorts. JAMA Network Open. 2024.
- Thorell K and Muñoz-Ramírez ZY, et al. The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project: Insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes. Nat Commun. 2024.
- Gutiérrez-Torres DS. et al. Changes in smoking use and subsequent lung cancer risk in the ATBC Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2024.
- Etemadi A et al. Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and tobacco-specific nitrosamines and incidence of esophageal cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2023.
- Lawrence W et al. Discrimination Experiences and All-cause and Cardiovascular Mortality: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2023.
- Watts EL et al. Association of Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity Level With Risks of Hospitalization for 25 Common Health Conditions in UK Adults. JAMA NO. 2023.
