Nutritional epidemiology is the study of nutritional determinants of disease in the presence of other lifestyle factors such as smoking and physical activity.

The aims of our research include the examination of:

• The importance of dietary intakes, especially vegetables and fruit, in modifying the risk of malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, prostate cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among asbestos-exposed individuals. Longitudinal measures of dietary intake have been made on members from cohorts who have participated in the Vitamin A Program and ReVital Programs.
• The importance of plasma nutrients in predicting the risk of malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, prostate cancer and COPD in asbestos exposed individuals. Plasma samples have been collected annually from members of both cohorts who have participated in the Vitamin A Program and ReVital Programs since 1990. The importance of plasma concentrations of antioxidants, glutathione peroxidase and folate are of particular interest.
• The effect, if any, of vitamin A supplementation (retinol) on prostate cancer incidence and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels during continuous supplementation for at least six years. We will be utilising longitudinal plasma samples taken during the Vitamin A and ReVital Programs. This project has been funded by the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Research Fund.
• Dietary intakes of carotenoids, phytoestrogens, fruits and vegetables and typical dietary patterns as possible modifiers of occupational and environmental risk factors for prostate cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy in Western Australia. Alcohol intake and the frequency of physical activity will also be examined.
• The reliability of food frequency questionnaires in comparison to a 28-day diet record. Three food frequency questionnaires have been used with the Vitamin A and ReVital Programs; one specially developed to estimate intakes of beta carotene and retinol, one developed by CSIRO Australia to estimate all nutrients, and the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria food frequency questionnaire.  Dr Dorothy Mackerras from the Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin collaborates in this project.
• Fish intake and the risk of leukaemia, myeloma and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. This study is examining whether dietary fish intake may be protective against these lymphohematopoietic (LH) cancers, and whether a previous finding of a protective effect of fish-related occupations is due to increased dietary intake of fish. Data have been obtained from a population-based case control study undertaken in eight of ten Canadian provinces from 1994 to 1998 on more than 2,600 LH cancer cases and 4,000 controls. Further investigations into any protective effect from fish intake on other cancer types are also planned.