Scientific Rationale: Diet significantly influences cancer risk, but the biological mechanisms remain partially understood. This project hypothesises that dietary patterns modulate cancer risk by altering systemic metabolomic and proteomic profiles.
Research Questions:
How do dietary patterns associate with incident cancer risk?
Do plasma metabolomic and proteomic signatures mediate this association?
Objectives:
Derive dietary patterns from UK Biobank dietary data.
Associate these patterns with risk of major cancers (e.g., breast, colorectal, prostate) using Cox regression.
Identify mediating metabolites and proteins using mediation analysis.
This research will uncover the functional pathways linking diet to cancer, informing precise prevention strategies.
