Adherence to a variety of healthy eating patterns was linked to a significantly reduced risk of premature death in a population-based study which followed the outcomes of over 119,000 participants.
 
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that participants who scored high on adherence to either the Healthy Eating Index 2015, Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED), Healthful Plant-based Diet Index, and Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) were significantly less likely to die from total and cause-specific mortality. This included cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease.
 
The researchers used data collected over a 36 year follow-up period from 75,230 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study and 44,085 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. All of the diets evaluated were high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, although other components tended to differ.
 
“The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are intended to provide science-based dietary advice that promotes good health and reduces major chronic diseases,” said Frank Hu, corresponding author. “Thus, it is critical to examine the associations between DGAs-recommended dietary patterns and long-term health outcomes, especially mortality.”
 
Notably, higher scores on the AMED and AHEI diets were associated with a lower risk of death from neurodegenerative disease, as well.
 
“It is important to evaluate adherence to DGAs-recommended eating patterns and health outcomes, including mortality, so that timely updates can be made,” said Hu. “Our findings will be valuable for the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which is being formed to evaluate current evidence surrounding different eating patterns and health outcomes.”