This large prospective study included 214,284 men and 166,012 women of the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons (NIH-AARP) Diet and Health Study. A 9-point dietary score was used to assess conformity with the Mediterranean diet, and statistical analyses were performed to determine this diet’s relationship to mortality. Greater conformity with the Mediterranean diet significantly reduced cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in both men and women. For the highest Mediterranean dietary pattern score, multivariate hazard ratios for cancer, CVD, and other mortality causes were respectively 0.83, 0.78, and 0.77 in men and 0.88, 0.81, and 0.72 in women. This diet’s beneficial effect was more pronounced in smokers with high conformity, especially among smokers with a body mass index of 18.5 to 25 kg/m2. The Mediterranean diet was also associated with reduced all-cause and cause-specific mortality. The Mediterranean dietary score is therefore a useful tool for evaluating diet and death from all causes, including cancer and CVD, in the United States population.
Documentation centre