Diet and mortality in a cohort of elderly people in a north European community.
BACKGROUND
In studies from Italy and Greece a Mediterranean dietary pattern predicts overall survival. Despite an increase in the movement of food around the world, there is still a wide spectrum of dietary patterns and the aim of the present study was to examine the association between a Mediterranean dietary pattern and mortality in a cohort of elderly people living in a North European Community.


METHODS
Diet and nutritional status was studied among 202 men and women born 1914-1918 and living in a Danish Municipality (Roskilde) in 1988. They were followed for 6 years.


RESULTS
A diet score, with seven dietary characteristics of the Mediterranean diet, was associated with a significant reduction in overall mortality. A one unit increase in the diet score predicted a 21% (95% confidence interval 2-36%) reduction in mortality. Subjects with high diet scores (> or = 4) had significantly higher plasma carotene levels than those with a low score and plasma carotene was negatively associated with mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
A Mediterranean diet score predicts survival in a North European population. Plasma carotene may serve as an intermediate factor in this association.
Osler
M
M
Department of Social Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Panum Institute, Denmark.
Schroll
M
M
D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis