Multiple healthy eating patterns are associated with a reduced risk of premature death

According to a new study led by researchers at the Harvard T.
H.
Chan School of Public Health, a variety of healthy eating patterns are associated
with a reduced risk of premature death.
They found that participants with higher scores who adhered to at least one of the four healthy eating patterns were less likely to die from any cause during the study and less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, cancer or respiratory disease compared to those with lower scores
.
The findings are consistent with current dietary guidelines in the United States, which recommend a variety of healthy eating patterns
.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are designed to provide science-based dietary recommendations that promote health and reduce major chronic diseases
.
Therefore, it is critical to study the relationship between DGAS-recommended dietary patterns and long-term health outcomes, particularly mortality," said corresponding author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology and chair
of the Department of Dietetics.

The study will be published online in the Journal of Internal Medicine of the American Medical Association on January 9
, 2023.

Few studies assessed whether greater adherence to the dietary pattern recommended by DGAS was associated with
the long-term risk of overall mortality and cause-specific mortality.
The researchers used health data
from 75,230 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study and 44,085 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study over 36 years.
All participants were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer at the start of the study and completed a dietary questionnaire every four years
.
Their information was scored based on four dietary pattern indices (Healthy Eating Index 2015, Alternative Mediterranean Diet, Healthy Plant-Based Diet Index and Alternative Healthy Eating Index
).
They all share the same key ingredients, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, although the other ingredients differ
across different dietary patterns.

Higher scores on at least one of the indicators were associated with a lower
risk of premature death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory diseases.
Higher AMED and AHEI scores are associated with
a lower risk of death from neurogenic diseases.
Results were consistent
for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics.

Current dietary guidelines (2015-2020) recommend a variety of healthy eating patterns that can be adapted to an individual's dietary traditions and preferences
.
An updated version of the guidance is published every five years by the U.
S
.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

"It is important to assess adherence to dgas' recommended dietary patterns and health outcomes, including mortality, so that they are kept up to date," Hu said
.
"Our findings are valuable to the 2025-2030 Advisory Committee on Dietary Guidelines, which is being formed to assess the current evidence
surrounding different dietary patterns and health outcomes.
"