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Does the Mediterranean diet predict longevity in the elderly? A Swedish perspective.
Gianluca Tognon1, Elisabet Rothenberg, Gabriele Eiben
1Public Health Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg, Sweden. gianluca.tognon@gu.se
Age (Dordrecht, Netherlands)
|November 27, 2010
Summary
Adhering to the Mediterranean diet, rich in whole grains and healthy fats, is linked to increased longevity in older adults. This dietary pattern, not macronutrient composition alone, significantly reduces mortality risk in the elderly.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Dietary pattern analysis offers insights into diet-health relationships.
- The Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced mortality in various age groups.
- Understanding diet's impact on elderly mortality is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the relationship between dietary macronutrient composition and the Mediterranean diet with total mortality in 70-year-old individuals.
- To evaluate the predictive value of adherence to a Mediterranean diet for longevity in the elderly.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study involving 1,037 seventy-year-old subjects (540 females).
- Assessment of dietary macronutrient composition and adherence to a modified Mediterranean diet index.
- Analysis of total mortality risk, adjusting for lifestyle factors and cardiovascular risks.
Main Results:
- Dietary macronutrient composition showed no association with mortality.
- A refined modified Mediterranean diet index demonstrated a significant inverse association with mortality (HR=0.93).
- Factors like inactivity, smoking, and higher waist circumference increased mortality risk, while marriage and higher education reduced it.
Conclusions:
- Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet, emphasizing whole grains, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and moderate alcohol intake, predicts increased longevity in the elderly.
- The Mediterranean diet pattern is a significant predictor of longevity, independent of macronutrient composition.
- Lifestyle and socioeconomic factors also play a role in elderly mortality risk.
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