title: Consumption of predefined 'Nordic' dietary items in ten European countries - an investigation in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Health-beneficial effects of adhering to a healthy Nordic diet index have been suggested. However, it has not been examined to what extent the included dietary components are exclusively related to the Nordic countries or if they are part of other European diets as well, suggesting a broader preventive potential. The present study describes the intake of seven a priori defined healthy food items (apples/pears, berries, cabbages, dark bread, shellfish, fish and root vegetables) across ten countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) and examines their consumption across Europe.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study. A 24 h dietary recall was administered through a software program containing country-specific recipes. Sex-specific mean food intake was calculated for each centre/country, as well as percentage of overall food groups consumed as healthy Nordic food items. All analyses were weighted by day and season of data collection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multi-centre, European study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Persons (n 36 970) aged 35-74 years, constituting a random sample of 519 978 EPIC participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest intakes of the included diet components were: cabbages and berries in Central Europe; apples/pears in Southern Europe; dark bread in Norway, Denmark and Greece; fish in Southern and Northern countries; shellfish in Spain; and root vegetables in Northern and Central Europe. Large inter-centre variation, however, existed in some countries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dark bread, root vegetables and fish are strongly related to a Nordic dietary tradition. Apples/pears, berries, cabbages, fish, shellfish and root vegetables are broadly consumed in Europe, and may thus be included in regional public health campaigns.
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authors.affiliation: 1Danish Cancer Society Research Center,Strandboulevarden 49,DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø,Denmark.
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authors.affiliation: 1Danish Cancer Society Research Center,Strandboulevarden 49,DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø,Denmark.
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authors.affiliation: 1Danish Cancer Society Research Center,Strandboulevarden 49,DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø,Denmark.
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authors.affiliation: 1Danish Cancer Society Research Center,Strandboulevarden 49,DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø,Denmark.
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authors.affiliation: 6Inserm,Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health,U1018,Institut Gustave Roussy,Villejuif,France.
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authors.affiliation: 14Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirugica,Federico II University,Naples,Italy.
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authors.affiliation: 29Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine,Nutritional Research,Umeå University,Umeå,Sweden.
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authors.affiliation: 30Department of Odontology,Umeå University,Umeå,Sweden.
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authors.affiliation: 31Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö,Lund University,Malmö,Sweden.
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authors.affiliation: 32Department of Public Health and Primary Care,University of Cambridge,Strangeways Research Laboratory,Cambridge,UK.
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mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005060:Europe; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries