Are Dietary Patterns Related to Long-Term, All-Cause Mortality?

Many studies of the influence of diet on health and mortality focus on specific types of foods, isolated nutrients, and disease-specific outcomes. In this study, researchers focused on broader dietary patterns by systematically reviewing 153 studies (mostly observational cohort studies; 53 conducted in the U.S.) that involved 6 million participants from 28 countries with high levels of economic development. The wide range of diets studied were characterized by macronutrient content and were correlated with all-cause mortality. Follow-up ranged from 4 to 25 years.

Dietary patterns characterized by high intake of nutrient-rich foods (i.e., vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and lean meats) were associated with lower all-cause mortality, …