Quite a few individuals are aware about the benefits of consuming a wholesome and nutritional diet. Other than avoiding several of ailments, a healthy diet seems to pave way for longer life. A latest study suggests that people dependent on healthy dietary patterns live longer than those adopting diets favoring certain foods.
At the time of the study, investigators evaluated empirical data to highlight the link between dietary patterns with mortality. Eating patterns of almost 2500 adults aged between 70 and 79 was scrutinized for ten years. It appeared that diets considering some foods were associated with decreased mortality. Scientists also focused on examining participants’ quality of life and nutritional status on the basis of their dietary patterns. In order to keep a tab on the consumption frequency of 108 different food items, authors segregated participants into groups of six.
While 374 subjects were in the ‘Healthy foods’ group and 332 within the ‘High-fat dairy products’ group, 693 were a part of the ‘Meat, fried foods, and alcohol’ cluster. Also a total of 386 volunteers were included in the ‘Breakfast cereal’ group, 458 in the ‘Refined grains’ team and the ‘Sweets and desserts’ group was formed by 339 study participants. Those belonging to the ‘Healthy foods’ cluster had a comparatively higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish, and vegetables, along with a lower consumption of meat, fried foods, sweets, high-calorie drinks, as well as added fat.
Amy L. Anderson, Ph.D., Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, lead author, enlightened, “The results of this study suggest that older adults who follow a dietary pattern consistent with current guidelines to consume relatively high amounts of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry and fish, may have a lower risk of mortality. Because a substantial percentage of older adults in this study followed the ‘Healthy foods’ dietary pattern, adherence to such a diet appears a feasible and realistic recommendation for potentially improved survival and quality of life in the growing older adult population.”
On the other hand, ‘High fat dairy products’ cluster had higher intake of foods such as ice cream, cheese, and 2 percent, whole milk as well as yogurt. This group consumed poultry, low-fat dairy products, rice, and pasta in lower quantities. With the help of detailed biochemical measures, experts analyzed participants’ quality of life and nutritional status. Factors such as gender, age, race, clinical site, education, physical activity, smoking, and total calorie intake were controlled throughout the study. The ‘High-fat dairy products’ cluster apparently had a 40 percent greater risk of mortality than the ‘Healthy foods’ team. Threat of mortality appeared 37 percent higher in the ‘Sweets and desserts’ group. The ‘Healthy foods’ cluster and the ‘Breakfast cereal’ or ‘Refined grains’ group probably did not have any dramatic variation in the risk of mortality.
The study will be published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.