Skip to Main Content
An official website of the United States government
Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program

Research Strategies for Nutritional and Physical Activity Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention

Overview

Over the last few years, numerous questions have been raised around how best to conduct and interpret etiologic research on nutrition/physical activity and cancer. Long time lags between exposures and outcomes, numerous study design issues, and the difficulties of characterizing exposures are among issues restraining further progress in this arena. In addition, nutrition and physical activity are mediators of biological pathways and processes relevant to cancer etiology. Both nutrition and physical activity have the potential to blunt the obesity epidemic and reduce the risk of major cancers and other chronic diseases. However, lack of consistency of research findings makes interpretation of the links between nutrition and physical activity and cancer etiology a very challenging task. The "Research Strategies for Nutritional and Physical Activity Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention Workshop" that took place at the NCI Shady Grove Campus in Rockville, Maryland on June 28-29, 2016 has been organized to address some of the issues identified above and to move the field forward.

Purpose

The objectives of the workshop were to gather a set of experts to help clarify our understanding of the roles of nutrition and physical activity in cancer etiology and to identify opportunities to accelerate new, potentially impactful research in the near term. The goals of the workshop were as follows:

  1. Assess past accomplishments in the field.
  2. Identify existing issues, gaps in knowledge and opportunities.

Workshop Summary

Mahabir S, Willett WC, Friedenreich CM, Lai GY, Boushey CJ, Matthews CE, Sinha R, Colditz GA, Rothwell JA, Reedy J, Patel AV, Leitzmann MF, Fraser GE, Ross S, Hursting SD, Abnet CC, Kushi LH, Taylor PR, Prentice R. Research Strategies for Nutritional and Physical Activity Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2017 Dec 18. [Epub ahead of print]

Agenda

View the agenda
Time Topic
Day 1: Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Room: Seminar 110
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Introductory Remarks
Kathy J. Helzlsouer, MD, MHS
Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), NCI
9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Workshop Background and Objectives
Somdat Mahabir, PhD, MPH
Environmental Epidemiology Branch, EGRP
DCCPS, NCI
9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. State of the Science of Nutrition and Cancer
Walter Willett, MD, DrPH
Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Philip R. Taylor, MD, ScD
Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), NCI

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. State of the Science of Physical Activity and Cancer
Christine Friedenreich, PhD
Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Cancer Control Alberta, Alberta Health Services
11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Michael F. Leitzmann, MD, DrPH
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Germany

11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch
12:45 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. State of the Science of Obesity and Cancer
Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH
Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University and Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center
1:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Stephen D. Hursting, PhD, MPH
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

1:45 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Current and Future Directions of Human Microbiome and Cancer - Roles of Nutrition and Obesity
Rashmi Sinha, PhD
Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, DCEG, NCI
2:15 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Gabriel Lai, PhD
Environmental Epidemiology Branch, EGRP, DCCPS, NCI

2:40 p.m. - 2:55 p.m. Break
2:55 p.m. - 3:25 p.m. Metabolomics and Dietary Exposures in Epidemiology
Joseph Rothwell, PhD
Nutrition and Metabolism Section, Biomarkers Group, International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC), France
3:25 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Sharon Ross, PhD, MPH
Nutritional Science Research Group, Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP), NCI

3:50 p.m. - 4:20 p.m. Emerging Technologies for Measuring Diet
Carol Boushey, PhD
Cancer Epidemiology Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center
4:20 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Jill Reedy, PhD, MPH
Risk Factor Assessment Branch, EGRP, DCCPS, NCI

4:45 p.m. Adjourn
Day 2: Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Room: Seminar 110
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Emerging Technologies for Measuring Physical Activity
Charles Matthews, PhD
Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, DCEG, NCI
9:30 a.m. - 9:55 a.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Christine Friedenreich, PhD
Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Cancer Control Alberta, Alberta Health Services, Canada

9:55 a.m. - 10:25 a.m. Research Questions in Nutritional Epidemiology of Cancer
Ross Prentice, PhD, MSc
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
10:25 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Gary Fraser, MBChB, PhD
School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University

10:50 a.m. - 11:05 a.m. Break
11:05 a.m. - 11:35 a.m. Research Questions in Physical Epidemiology of Cancer
Alpa Patel, PhD
Cancer Prevention Study-3, American Cancer Society
11:35 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Michael F. Leitzmann, MD, DrPH
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Germany

12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch
12:45 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Implementing What We Already Know and Opportunities in Global Health and Health Disparities
Larry Kushi, ScD
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
1:15 p.m. - 1:40 p.m.

Discussion

Moderator:
Christian Abnet, PhD, MPH
Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, DCEG, NCI

1:40 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Integrated Discussion

Moderator: Somdat Mahabir, PhD, MPH
Environmental Epidemiology Branch, EGRP, DCCPS, NCI

2:30 p.m. Adjourn

Steering Committee

Contact Us

Have questions about this topic or need additional assistance?

Contact Us

Somdat Mahabir, PhD, MPH
Program Director
Environmental Epidemiology Branch, EGRP
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, NCI
mahabir@mail.nih.gov