Deutsches Institut für Ernährungsforschung Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE)

The scientists at the DIfE work interdisciplinary and with a broad spectrum of natural scientific, medical and epidemiological methods. They thus support translational research, with which the findings gained at the molecular level and verified in epidemiological study populations or in intervention studies should be brought into practice as quickly as possible. As a partner in national and international projects, DIfE contributes to the development and shaping of nutrition and health research through its expertise. DIfE is actively involved in three German Centers for Health Research funded by the BMFTR: the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) and the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG). In addition, DIfE operates the EPIC-Potsdam study and the Berlin-South/Brandenburg study center of the NAKO Health Study and is actively involved in the National Research Data Infrastructure for Personal Health Data (NFDI4Health).

Since the institute was founded in 1992, DIfE researchers have made significant contributions to elucidating the causes of nutrition-related diseases. For example, they identified biomarkers and gene variants that raise the risk for overweight and diabetes. In addition, they developed the DIfE – GERMAN DIABETES RISK SCORE and the DIfE - Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score. The tests allow to calculate the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart attack or stroke in the next ten years. The result can help to specifically tailor prevention measures to people at high risk.

The path to current issues in the field of sustainable healthy nutrition, which began in the NutriAct competence cluster Potsdam-Berlin, remains the focus of the DIfE researchers. For example, DIfE coordinates the Leibniz research network "Green Nutrition - Healthy Society”.