CELEBRATING THE multiethnic cohort study
CORE VALUE PONO , DIVERSITY
Who would have imagined that a research study could recruit over 215,000 participants and follow them for over 30 years ? The Multiethnic Cohort Study ( MEC ), a partnership between the UH Cancer Center and the University of Southern California , investigates the causes of cancer and other chronic diseases to determine ways to prevent them . Since 1993 , MEC participants of five main ethnic groups at the two sites , including Japanese Americans , Native Hawaiians , African Americans , Latinos , and whites , have completed questionnaires and provided biological specimens . It is the most ethnically diverse cancer cohort in the world .
Utilizing the information provided by the study participants , the MEC has contributed to more than 1,000 scientific articles and has gained national and international recognition in the areas of :
1 . Diet and cancer : Made recommendations across the world about what constitutes a healthy diet to decrease one ’ s risk of cancer and other chronic diseases .
2 . Ethnic disparities in cancer rates and survival : Identified and highlighted existing ethnic differences concerning cancer risk including :
Q the high breast cancer rates of Native Hawaiians ;
Q the high rates of colorectal cancer in Japanese Americans ;
Q the higher lung cancer risk of African American and Native Hawaiian smokers ; and
Q the higher overall cancer mortality in Native Hawaiians .
3 . Cancer susceptibility : Identified DNA sequence differences that are associated with an increased cancer risk . This knowledge will help identify individuals who would particularly benefit from screening .
4 . Obesity and cancer : Showed that Japanese , Native Hawaiians , and Latinos have a propensity to store fat deep inside the abdomen . This type of fat carries a greater risk for metabolic diseases , such as diabetes , heart disease , and certain cancers . A diet and lifestyle intervention study is ongoing to identify the best approach to reduce intra-abdominal fat ( see page 10 about the Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Study II ).
5 . Miscellaneous : Other scientific contributions have focused on the role of alcohol , coffee , meats , diet quality , dietary supplements , physical activity , hormones , reproductive factors , inflammation , infections , metabolism , sleep , the built environment , social determinants of health , air pollution , gut microbes , and diabetes on the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases . For more information visit www . uhcancercenter . org / mec .
The MEC is an example of the world-class research being conducted at the UH Cancer Center .
MEC Principal Investigators : Lynne Wilkins , DrPH , MS , Loïc LeMarchand , MD , PhD , and University of Southern California ’ s Christopher Haiman , ScD
22