Diet, lifestyle and genetic susceptibility
Every day, each Dane consumes an average of 3 kilograms of food and fluids, which amounts to a ton each year. Food consumption habits have both health and environmental consequences. In the research group, we study associations between diet, lifestyle and health. The main outcomes we focus on are obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer, both in one generation and across generations in families. Increasingly, we also study the interplay between food consumption, environmental impact, and health.
Research areas
- Applying novel methods to assess associations between diet and health
- Modelled substitution of foods
- Socioeconomic determinants of food and drink habits
- Associations between diet, lifestyle and obesity exposures in one generation, and health outcomes in the next
- Environmentally sustainable foods or dietary habits and health
- The interplay between genetic variation, diet, and health
Recent publications
Publications
Rosendal, L. B., Bundgaard, C., Zhang, J., Olsen, A., Rostgaard-Hansen, A. L., Dahm, C. C. & Ibsen, D. B. (2026). Adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and risk of colorectal cancer in the general population and among individuals with diabetes: a cohort study. European Journal of Nutrition, 65(3), Article 90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-03936-6
Breeur, M., Atkins, J., Peruchet-Noray, L., Bonheme, L., Alcala, N., Dossus, L., Jenab, M., Johansson, M., Rinaldi, S., Travis, R. C., Bork, C., Dahm, C. C., Tjønneland, A., Olsen, A., Naudin, S., Park, S., Truong, T., Katzke, V., Le Cornet, C. ... Viallon, V. (2026). Autoencoders reveal polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)-Related metabolic signature linked to cancer risk. EBioMedicine, 124, Article 106147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2026.106147
Pham, T. T., Nimptsch, K., Aleksandrova, K., Jenab, M., Fedirko, V., Olsen, A., Tjønneland, A., Cadeau, C., Severi, G., Schulze, M. B., Fortner, R. T., Katzke, V., Agnoli, C., Sacerdote, C., Tumino, R., Signoriello, S., Trobajo-Sanmartín, C., Gómez, J. H., Chirlaque, M. D. ... Pischon, T. (2026). Circulating fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP-4) concentrations and mortality in individuals with colorectal cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. International Journal of Cancer, 158(3), 546-559. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.70090
Zilhao, N. R., Zhang, J., Boomsma, D. I., Sørensen, T. I. A. & Dahm, C. C. (2026). Deviation From Genetically Predicted BMI and All-Cause Mortality: A Cohort Study in the UK Biobank. Obesity, 34(1), 228-236. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70042
Manfredi, L., Buscema, F., Giraudo, M. T., Sodano, B., Padroni, L., Destefanis, C., Freisling, H., Ferrari, P., Cesaroni, G., Uzzau, S., Schulze, M. B., Saieva, C., Tumino, R., Weiderpass, E., Matta, K., Vaccarella, S., Guevara, M., Halkjær, J., Tjønneland, A. ... Ricceri, F. (2026). Does lifestyle explain the relationship between socioeconomic position and multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases? A mediation analysis applied to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 80(1), 3-9. Article jech-2025-224476. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2025-224476
Petersen, S. M., Ibsen, D. B. & Andersen, A. (2026). Do insomnia and physical activity mediate the relationship between diabetes and depression in people with type 2 diabetes? Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders, 25(1), Article 50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-026-01875-x
Maasen, K., Mayen, A. L., Hana, C., Knaze, V., van Greevenbroek, M. M. J., Eussen, S. J. P. M., Debras, C., Stehouwer, C. D. A., Tjønneland, A., Kyrø, C., Ibsen, D. B., Dahm, C. C., Mancini, F., Laouali, N., Hajji, M., Schulze, M. B., Bajracharya, R., Katzke, V., Masala, G. ... Schalkwijk, C. G. (2026). Higher intake of dietary dicarbonyl compounds is associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct case-cohort study. European Journal of Nutrition, 65(3), Article 98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-03904-0
