title: Adherence to a healthy Nordic food index and risk of myocardial infarction in middle-aged Danes: the diet, cancer and health cohort study.
abstract: For decades, the Mediterranean diet has been in focus regarding healthy eating as it has been associated with reduced risk of non-communicable diseases. Less interest has been given to health benefits of other regional diets. The aim of the present study was to assess whether adherence to a healthy Nordic food index was associated with lower risk of myocardial infarction (MI) among middle-aged Danes.
  
  
  
  Data were obtained from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study of 57 053 men and women aged 50-64 years recruited between 1993 and 1997. The healthy Nordic food index comprised healthy Nordic food items selected a priori (fish, cabbage, rye bread, oatmeal, apple and pears and root vegetables). Information on incident MI was ascertained through linkage with national registries. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated from sex-specific Cox proportional hazard models.
  
  
  
  In total, 1669 men and 653 women developed MI during follow-up (13.6 median years). In adjusted models, those with an index score of 5-6 points (highest scores) had significantly lower MI risk (men: HR=0.77, 95% CI=0.62, 0.97; women: HR=0.55, 95% CI=0.37, 0.82) relative to those scoring 0 points in the index (lowest score). A significantly lower MI risk was found per 1-point increment in the index in both men (HR=0.95, 95% CI=0.92, 0.99) and women (HR=0.93, 95% CI=0.88, 0.98).
  
  
  
  A healthy Nordic diet is associated with lower MI risk among middle-aged Danes, suggesting that Nordic diets should be considered in recommendations for dietary changes in the promotion of coronary health.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: V B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Gunge
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Section of Social Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Unit of Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kyrø
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Dahm
authors.affiliation: Unit of Statistics, Bioinformatics and Registry, Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Unit of Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tjønneland
authors.affiliation: Unit of Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark; D000072001:Diet, Healthy; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010349:Patient Compliance; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D044465:White People