The Diet, Cancer and Health cohort studies

One of the largest population study conducted in Denmark

The cohort ‘Diet, Cancer and Health’ (DCH) is one of the largest population-based studies in Denmark and was established in 1993-1996. A total of 57,053 men and women aged 50-64 were enrolled and underwent extensive examinations. The data collected included blood, urine and fat tissue samples, toenail clippings, anthropometric measurements and detailed questionnaire-based information about diet and lifestyle. A unique data- and biobank based on this cohort has contributed to more than 1000 research projects.

The next generations

The ‘Diet, Cancer and Health – Next Generations’  (DCH-NG) study is an extension of the DCH study and includes biological children, their spouses and grandchildren of the 57,000 participants of the DCH study. The DCH-NG cohort was established in 2015-2019 and comprises about 42,000 participants aged 18-84 years at baseline. The new generations provided blood, saliva, urine and stool samples, underwent an examination including anthropometric measurements, bioimpedance analysis and blood pressure assessments and completed detailed questionnaires about their diet, lifestyle and many other topics.   

The three generational cohort will allow in-depth intergenerational studies

The overall objective of the DCH-NG cohort was to establish a unique resource available for the broad research community. A multi-generational study enables researchers to identify novel mechanism leading to the development of cancer and other lifestyle diseases. Thus, we will be able to investigate the interaction between genes, diet and lifestyle in an intergenerational perspective. 

More individualized cancer prevention

We also anticipate that DCH-NG will contribute with new knowledge supporting more differentiated counseling, thereby leading to more efficient and individualized cancer prevention in the future.

For information about data access, please visit the DCH data homepage.