The UK Women’s Cohort Study is one of the largest cohort studies investigating associations between diet and cancer in the UK. It was established in 1995 with the aim of investigating links between diet and health.

A large cohort of over 35,000 middle aged women has been created encompassing a wide range of different eating patterns, including diets currently of interest to research into protection against cancer and coronary heart disease. Women in the cohort are health conscious with only 11% current smokers and 58% taking dietary supplements. 28% of the subjects self-report being vegetarian and 1% vegan.

Participants are regularly followed up to study the effects of different food and nutrient intakes on long-term health outcomes.

A cohort profile has been published in the International Journal of Epidemiology:

International Journal of Epidemiology, 2015, 1–11 doi: 10.1093/ije/dyv173