Emily Sonestedt

Principal Investigator

Emily Sonestedt holds a MSc in Nutrition from Stockholm University (2003), a PhD in Public Health and Nutritional Epidemiology from Lund University (2009). Since 2015, Emily is an associate professor (docent) in Nutritional Epidemiology. In 2017, Emily became the head of the Nutritional Epidemiology research group and is currently the formal main supervisor of four PhD students.

Emily was the chairperson of the carbohydrate expert group on the revision of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations where a systematic literature review was performed on sugar and health effects (Sonestedt et al, 2012). In 2010, Emily joined the lab of Professor Ronald Krauss in Oakland (California, USA) as a visiting researcher. Emily is currently involved in several high impact international collaborations, including NCD risk factor collaboration, CHARGE, EPIC and STROBE-nut.

Already during her PhD, Emily had a strong research interest in carbohydrate quality, fiber, and the influence of microbiota on health. The title of Emily’s thesis was “Plant foods, plasma enterolactone and breast cancer – with a focus on estrogen receptor status and genetic variation” (PI: Elisabet Wirfält). Emily gained extensive knowledge in genetic studies and changed focus from breast cancer to cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes, during her postdoctoral fellowship in Professor Marju Orho-Melander’s research group.

Publications

Nutritional quality of diet characterized by the Nutri-Score profiling system and cardiovascular disease risk: a prospective study in 7 European countries
November 12, 2024 by Mélanie Deschasaux-Tanguy
BACKGROUND: Nutri-Score is a scientifically validated 5-color front-of-pack nutrition label reflecting the nutrient profile of foods. It has been implemented in several European countries on a voluntary basis, pending the revision of the European labeling regulation. Hence, scientific evidence is needed regarding the ability of the nutrient profile underlying the Nutri-Score […]
Ultra-processed food consumption, plasma metabolite profile, and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a population-based cohort
October 29, 2024 by Yufeng Du
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that higher UPF intake is associated with increased risk of all-cause, premature, CVD, and respiratory disease mortality, with the association varying across sex for all-cause mortality. The plasma metabolic signature of UPF showed a positive association with all-cause mortality.
Adulthood weight changes, body mass index in youth, genetic susceptibility and risk of atrial fibrillation: a population-based cohort study
August 25, 2024 by Yufeng Du
CONCLUSIONS: Weight gain in middle adulthood was associated with higher AF risk. Weight loss from early to middle adulthood, but not from middle to late middle adulthood, was associated with a lower risk of AF only in females. Higher BMI in youth was associated with an increased risk of AF, particularly […]
Associations of the EAT-Lancet reference diet with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and its severity: A multicohort study
August 2, 2024 by Shunming Zhang
CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to the EAT-Lancet reference diet was inversely associated with the risk of MASLD as well as its severity.
Are we using more sugar substitutes? Wastewater analysis reveals differences and rising trends in artificial sweetener usage in Swedish urban catchments
June 25, 2024 by Inga Haalck
The market for artificial sweeteners as substitutes for conventional sugar (sucrose) is growing, despite potential health risks associated with their intake. Estimating population usage of artificial sweeteners is therefore crucial, and wastewater analysis can serve as a complement to existing methods. This study evaluated spatial and temporal usage of artificial sweeteners […]
A systematic evaluation of seven different scores representing the EAT-Lancet reference diet and mortality, stroke, and greenhouse gas emissions in three cohorts
June 7, 2024 by Anna Stubbendorff
Different approaches have been used for translation of the EAT-Lancet reference diet into dietary scores that can be used to assess health and environmental impact. Our aim was to compare the different EAT-Lancet diet scores, and to estimate their associations with all-cause mortality, stroke incidence, and greenhouse gas emissions. We did […]
Correction to: Consumption of soft drinks and juices and risk of liver and biliary tract cancers in a European cohort
April 17, 2024 by Magdalena Stepien
No abstract
Beverages – a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023
April 4, 2024 by Emily Sonestedt
Background: Coffee, tea, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages (LNCSBs) are generally frequently consumed in the Nordic and Baltic countries. These beverages have also been related to potential health effects. This scoping review describes the evidence for the role of coffee, tea, SSBs, and LNCSBs for health-related outcomes […]
The EAT-Lancet Diet Index, Plasma Proteins, and Risk of Heart Failure in a Population-Based Cohort
April 4, 2024 by Shunming Zhang
CONCLUSIONS: Higher adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet was associated with a lower risk of HF. The identified eight plasma proteins provide information on potential pathways mediating such an association.
Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults
March 3, 2024 by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)
BACKGROUND: Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories.

See all publications