This proposal aims at identifying new biomarkers of dietary exposure using metabolomic approaches. This project is based on the European Prospective Investigation on Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Calibration Study and more particularly upon a subset of 494 men and women from 4 European countries (Germany, Greece, Italy and France). Urine and blood samples are analyzed by untargeted metabolomics.

Subjects participating in the study are characterized by the availability of one 24-hr urine sample, blood serum, 24-hr dietary recall (24HDR) and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data.

The main objectives of the proposal are:

1. To collect a set of high-quality metabolomic data containing rich information on the food-derived metabolome.
2. To mine this data in different Metabolome-Wide Association Studies in order to identify food-derived metabolites discriminating consumers and non-consumers of various foods, nutrients and dietary patterns.
3. To identify the food-derived metabolites characteristic of the consumption of the different foods/nutrients and dietary patterns.

Inclusion criteria:

• Aged 30-70
• Healthy
• Residing within Europe.
• Have donated one 24-hr urine sample, blood serum.
• Have filled one 24-hr dietary recall (24HDR) and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).

Exclusion criteria:

• 24-hr urine sample and 24-hr dietary recall not collected on a same day.
• Incomplete collection of 24-hr urine sample.

494 men and women from 4 European countries (Germany, Greece, Italy and France) selected from the EPIC Calibration study. Different settings by centre; mostly general population with some exceptions: women of a health insurance company for teachers and school workers (France), women attending breast cancer screening (Florence-Italy), mainly blood donors (most centers in Italy) and a cohort consisting predominantly of vegetarians (the 'health-conscious' group in Oxford, UK).