EPIC: in search of the right diet
Department Supervisor: Fulvio Ricceri
Date and location: 20 May 2023, Food and Science Festival, Mantua.
Description
The relationship between our diet and the possible development of certain diseases is very complicated as several factors are involved that are not easy to analyse. Does coffee protect against tumours? Does it give you high blood pressure? Does it make headaches go away? In recent years, there has been a huge increase in studies linking nutrition to the onset or prevention of certain diseases, but often the information is contradictory and it is not easy to find your way around.
The relationship between nutrition and disease is complex, and no food is good or bad in itself. There are many variables involved and it is not easy to reach a definitive conclusion. In general, one study is not enough and can sometimes only lead to confusion. This is why epidemiological studies conducted in large numbers are necessary.
The EPIC study, The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, is one of the largest cohort studies in the world. The participants of the study are more than half a million people from about ten European countries and followed in their clinical course for about fifteen years.