EPIC-Heart: the cardiovascular component of a prospective study of nutritional, lifestyle and biological factors in 520,000 middle-aged participants from 10 European countries.
EPIC-Heart is the cardiovascular component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a multi-centre prospective cohort study investigating the relationship between nutrition and major chronic disease outcomes. Its objective is to advance understanding about the separate and combined influences of lifestyle (especially dietary), environmental, metabolic and genetic factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases by making best possible use of the unusually informative database and biological samples in EPIC. Between 1992 and 2000, 519,978 participants (366,521 women and 153,457 men, mostly aged 35-70 years) in 23 centres in 10 European countries commenced follow-up for cause- specific mortality, cancer incidence and major cardiovascular morbidity. Dietary information was collected with quantitative questionnaires or semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires, including a 24-h dietary recall sub-study to help calibrate the dietary measurements. Information was collected on physical activity, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, occupational history, socio-economic status, and history of previous illnesses. Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure recordings were made in the majority of participants. Blood samples were taken from 385,747 individuals, from which plasma, serum, red cells, and buffy coat fractions were separated and aliquoted for long-term storage. By 2004, an estimated 10,000 incident fatal and non-fatal coronary and stroke events had been recorded. The first cycle of EPIC-Heart analyses will assess associations of coronary mortality with several prominent dietary hypotheses and with established cardiovascular risk factors. Subsequent analyses will extend this approach to non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes and to further dietary, biochemical and genetic factors.
Danesh
John
J
EPIC-Heart Secretariat, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Strangeways Research Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Worts Causeway, Cambridge, CB1 8RN, UK. epic-heart@phpc.cam.ac.uk
Saracci
Rodolfo
R
Berglund
Göran
G
Feskens
Edith
E
Overvad
Kim
K
Panico
Salvatore
S
Thompson
Simon
S
Fournier
Agnès
A
Clavel-Chapelon
Françoise
F
Canonico
Marianne
M
Kaaks
Rudolf
R
Linseisen
Jakob
J
Boeing
Heiner
H
Pischon
Tobias
T
Weikert
Cornelia
C
Olsen
Anja
A
Tjønneland
Anne
A
Johnsen
Søren Paaske
SP
Jensen
Majken Karoline
MK
Quirós
Jose R
JR
Svatetz
Carlos Alberto Gonzalez
CA
Pérez
Maria-José Sánchez
MJ
Larrañaga
Nerea
N
Sanchez
Carmen Navarro
CN
Iribas
Concepción Moreno
CM
Bingham
Sheila
S
Khaw
Kay-Tee
KT
Wareham
Nick
N
Key
Timothy
T
Roddam
Andrew
A
Trichopoulou
Antonia
A
Benetou
Vassiliki
V
Trichopoulos
Dimitrios
D
Masala
Giovanna
G
Sieri
Sabina
S
Tumino
Rosario
R
Sacerdote
Carlotta
C
Mattiello
Amalia
A
Verschuren
W M Monique
WM
Bueno-de-Mesquita
H Bas
HB
Grobbee
Diederick E
DE
van der Schouw
Yvonne T
YT
Melander
Olle
O
Hallmans
Göran
G
Wennberg
Patrik
P
Lund
Eiliv
E
Kumle
Merethe
M
Skeie
Guri
G
Ferrari
Pietro
P
Slimani
Nadia
N
Norat
Teresa
T
Riboli
Elio
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires