Alternatively, the mixed results in the literature in relation to CRC risk and the absence of interaction in the present study could mean that an interaction between energy balance-related exposures and genetic variation in the mTOR-PI3K-Akt pathway in relation to CRC risk is absent or not strong enough to be detected given the average statistical power achieved in a large observational cohort. Here, AKT1 is linked to colorectal carcinoma.