UKWCS - HES database
Research type
Research Database
IRAS ID
357976
Contact name
Janet Cade
Contact email
Research summary
UK Women's Cohort Study - HES renewal of database
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/YH/0144
Date of REC Opinion
10 Oct 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion
Data collection arrangements
The UK Women's Cohort Study(UKWCS)-HES database is one of the largest, longest studies of diet in relation to health in the UK. A large cohort of over 35,000 middle aged women was created specifically to include a wide range of different eating patterns, currently of interest to research into protection against cancer and other diseases. Women in the cohort were generally health conscious with only 11% current smokers and 58% taking dietary supplements. 28% of the women self-reported being vegetarian and 1% vegan.
The original cohort had two phases: first was the baseline data collection (1995 to 1998) using a postal questionnaire (imagine all that ‘licking and sticking’ of envelopes).
Phase 2 data were collected 4 years later (1999 to 2002), and included a 4-day food diary, 1-day activity diary and lifestyle questionnaire.
Details of everyone who replied were linked to health outcomes from the NHS (the organisation now known as NHS Digital).
The aims of the UKWCS were to explore links between diet (including foods, nutrients, dietary supplements, dietary patterns and diet costs) and chronic disease (including cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity and other health outcomes).Research programme
Over 40 peer-reviewed academic papers have arisen from the cohort to date, with more to come. Examples of our research outcomes are below. We have explored data in the fields of diet and wellbeing, our study was the first to explore how what women eat can affect age at menopause. Fidgeting has been shown, for the first time, to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality associated with excessive sitting. In relation to diet and cancer we have found that a high consumption of processed meat and total meat is linked to risk of breast and endometrial cancer. Fibre intake protects against premenopausal cancer. We have also found that vegetarian women were at a higher risk of hip fracture compared to regular meat-eaters. Cereal fibre may protect against fatal stroke risk in overweight women. Higher total dietary fibre intake was associated with lower total (fatal plus non-fatal) stroke events. We wish to continue to explore this data for other health outcomes and dietary patterns.
Research database title
UK Women's Cohort Study - HES renewal of database
Establishment organisation
University Of Leeds
Establishment organisation address
Nutritional Epidemiology Group
School of Food Science And Nutrition
Leeds
LS29 7QH