title: Dietary patterns as predictors of successful ageing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations between dietary patterns identified by factor analysis, and successful ageing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study with diet measured in 1990-4, and successful ageing in 2003-7. Ordered logistic regression with outcome determined as dead/usual ageing/successful ageing was used to examine associations with quintile groups of dietary factor scores.
  
  
  METHODS
  Men and women (n=6308), without history of major illness at baseline, and aged >70 years at follow-up, or who had died before follow-up but would have been aged >70 at the commencement of follow-up, from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequencies of intake of 121 foods at baseline were collected in a food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometry and other health and lifestyle data were collected. At follow-up, questionnaire data relating to mental health, physical function and medical history were used to define successful ageing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four dietary factors were identified, characterized by higher loadings for (1) vegetables; (2) fruit, (3) feta, legumes, salad, olive oil, and inverse loadings for tea, margarine, cake, sweet biscuits and puddings; (4) meat, white bread, savoury pastry dishes and fried foods. In models excluding body size, the second factor 'Fruit' was positively associated with successful ageing (OR in top 20% vs lowest 20% of score 1.31, 95%CI (1.05-1.63), p trend across quintile groups 0.001); while the fourth factor 'Meat/fatty foods' was inversely associated (OR in top 20% vs lowest 20% of score 0.69, 95%CI (0.55-0.86), p trend across quintile groups 0.001). Factors 1 and 3 did not show significant associations with successful ageing. The association for 'Fruit' was little altered after adjustment for body size, while for 'Meat/fatty foods' the association was somewhat attenuated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A dietary pattern including plenty of fruit while limiting meat and fried foods may improve the likelihood of ageing successfully.
authors.affiliation: Allison Hodge, Research Coordinator-Core Programs, Cancer Epidemiology Centre, The Cancer Council of Victoria, 100 Drummond Street Carlton, Vic 3053, Australia. Phone: 61 3 9635 5063, Fax: 61 3 9635 5063, Email: allison.hodge@cancervic.org.au.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hodge
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Dea
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: English
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Giles
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flicker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003296:Cooking; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology