Adherence to four healthy eating patterns was “consistently associated with a lower risk of death,” according to a study published this week in the Jama Internal Medicine journal
These pattern measures were the: Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015), Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED) score, Healthful Plant-based Diet Index (HPDI), and Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI).
“Our findings support the recommendations of [Dietary Guidelines for Americans] for multiple healthy eating patterns for all U.S. individuals with diverse cultural and personal food traditions and preferences,” said the study authors. This means that healthy eating habits can be adapted across different cultures with varying food traditions.
Included in the study were 75,230 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (1984 to 2020) and 44,085 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2020) with 36 years of follow-up. Authors said the association between healthy diet adherence and lower death risk “were consistent in different racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic white individuals.”
While researchers found that “all dietary scores were significantly inversely associated with death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease,” the AMED score and AHEI had an even greater association with lower risk of death from neurodegenerative disease, “which may suggest benefits of some unique dietary components in two dietary patterns, such as nuts and monounsaturated fat.”
However, researchers said more research is needed in that area.
“The reason for the similarity in the associations between the diet quality scores and mortality is probably that these dietary patterns share several components, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes,” and overall high consumption of plant-based foods, said the study.
“However, there are also some distinct components for each dietary score; for example, the AMED score encourages fish intake, but the HPDI discourages all animal foods.”
According to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease Study cited by authors of the recent study, “unhealthy diet is estimated as one of the leading causes of death globally.”
Around 13 years ago, evolution in nutritional sciences lead the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to shift focus from individual nutrients to healthy eating patterns, study authors explained. This approach was continued with the 2020-2025 guidelines update.
“These recommended eating patterns were intended for all U.S.
individuals, but previous evidence indicated notable differences within dietary patterns by individuals’ characteristics,” said researchers.
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