title: Modified Mediterranean diet and survival: EPIC-elderly prospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether adherence to the modified Mediterranean diet, in which unsaturates were substituted for monounsaturates, is associated with longer life expectancy among elderly Europeans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicentre, prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom).
  
  
  METHODS
  74,607 men and women, aged 60 or more, without coronary heart disease, stroke, or cancer at enrolment and with complete information about dietary intake and potentially confounding variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Extent of adherence to a modified Mediterranean diet using a scoring system on a 10 point scale, and death from any cause by time of occurrence, modelled through Cox regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An increase in the modified Mediterranean diet score was associated with lower overall mortality, a two unit increment corresponding to a statistically significant reduction of 8% (95% confidence interval 3% to 12%). No statistically significant evidence of heterogeneity was found among countries in the association of the score with overall mortality even though the association was stronger in Greece and Spain. When dietary exposures were calibrated across countries, the reduction in mortality was 7% (1% to 12%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Mediterranean diet, modified so as to apply across Europe, was associated with increased survival among older people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Athens Medical School, Athens 11527, Greece. antonia@nut.uoa.gr
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trichopoulou
authors.forename: Philippos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orfanos
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Norat
authors.forename: Bas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bueno-de-Mesquita
authors.forename: Marga C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ocké
authors.forename: Petra H M
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.forename: Yvonne T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: van der Schouw
authors.forename: Heiner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boeing
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boffetta
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nagel
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Masala
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Krogh
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panico
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tumino
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vineis
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bamia
authors.forename: Androniki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naska
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Benetou
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Slimani
authors.forename: Guillem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pera
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martinez-Garcia
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Barranco
authors.forename: Miren
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dorronsoro
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Key
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bingham
authors.forename: Kay-Tee
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Khaw
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kesse
authors.forename: Francoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Clavel-Chapelon
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Boutron-Ruault
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wirfalt
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hallmans
authors.forename: Ingegerd
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tjonneland
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Overvad
authors.forename: Heidi H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hundborg
authors.forename: Elio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riboli
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trichopoulos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis