Epidemiologists utilize various methods to study the impact of food groups on health. These methods include:
Cohort Studies Cohort studies follow a group of people over time to observe how different dietary patterns affect health outcomes. Participants provide detailed information about their diet, which is then analyzed to identify correlations between food groups and diseases.
Case-Control Studies In case-control studies, individuals with a specific disease (cases) are compared to those without the disease (controls). Researchers collect dietary data from both groups to identify differences in food group consumption that may be associated with the disease.
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) RCTs are considered the gold standard in epidemiological research. Participants are randomly assigned to different dietary interventions to determine the causal effects of specific food groups on health outcomes.
