Metabolic Epidemiology Branch

Clear spheres in the foreground appear in front of a brightly lit and blurry background; depicting metabolism and metabolomics

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

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.
Study of Oral Microbiome Describes the Mouth of America

A research team led by Dr. Christian Abnet characterized the composition, diversity, and correlates of the oral microbiome of US adults in a new cross-sectional study. They described the associations between age, sex, tobacco use, alcohol, BMI and other individual characteristics and different aspects of the oral microbiome. This is the first population representative description of a human microbiome, which that includes describing the the prevalence of different bacterial genera in the US population.
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. 
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.