Solving the Diet-Cancer Mystery:
Scientific Studies Provide Clues

Epidemiological Studies:What Are They?

Epidemiological studies investigate the overall risk of a kind of disease within specific groups of people.

For example, an epidemiological study might investigate how diet affects the risk of breast cancer in African-American women who live in rural areas. These studies are observational: Scientists watch what’s going on, but they don’t try to change it. Strong evidence can and does arise from epidemiological studies, but remember: detectives can’t build an ironclad case out of circumstantial evidence alone.

There are three major types of epidemiological studies: Ecologic Studies, Cohort Studies and Case-Control Studies.