Scoring of prudent dietary habits and its relation to 25-year survival

To evaluate the effect on longevity of a diet that is concurrent with common dietary guidelines, a simple diet scoring system was developed and applied in a follow-up study of 2,820 middle-aged Dutch civil servants and their spouses. In the early 1950s those civil servants were seen for a health examination that included a dietary survey. Consumption frequency data of the quantitatively most important food items at that time were used for the diet scoring. Overall survival after 25 years was 46.8% among men and 68.6% among women. In men, a significant positive association between prudent diet score and 25-year, age-adjusted survival could be demonstrated. Of the 10 food items that constituted the diet score, a higher intake of brown bread, porridge and/or yogurt, vegetables, fish, and fruit was associated with a slightly better survival. In a separate analysis we had found a significant inverse relationship between coffee consumption and survival. A similar trend, which, however, was not significant, was observed for alcohol intake. In women, the results for the separate food items were inconsistent, and no effect of a prudent diet score on longevity was observed. The proposed diet scoring system provides a means for evaluating the effects of the individual's food choice behavior on subsequent health and longevity.