“Western-Style” Diet Allegedly Linked to Premature Mortality
A new study has purportedly linked a “Western-style” diet to a greater risk of
premature death in middle-age adults. Tasnime Akbaraly, et al., “Does Overall
Diet in Midlife Predict Future Aging Phenotypes? A Cohort Study,” American
Journal of Medicine, May 2013. Using data from the British Whitehall II cohort
study, researchers evidently examined the dietary patterns and adherence
to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)—“a validated index of diet
quality”—of 5,350 adults with a mean age of 51 years. After a 16-year followup
that included screenings conducted every 5 years, the study’s authors
apparently categorized participant outcomes into the following groups: (i)
“ideal aging, defined as free of chronic conditions and high performance in
physical, mental and cognitive functioning tests—4.0 percent”; (ii) “nonfatal
cardiovascular event—12.7 percent”; (iii) “cardiovascular death—2.8 percent”;
(iv) “noncardiovascular death—7.3 percent”; and (v) “normal aging—73.2
percent.”
Based on these classifications, the study’s authors reported that subjects “with low adherence to AHEI increased their risk of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death,” while those who followed “a ‘Western-type diet’ consisting of fried and sweet food, processed food and red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products lowered their chances for ideal aging.” The study noted, however, that “the mechanisms underlying the association between the ‘Western-type food’ dietary pattern and lower odds of ideal aging remain unclear and need further investigation.”
“We showed that specific dietary recommendations such as the one provided
by the AHEI may be useful in reducing the risk of unhealthy aging, while
avoidance of the ‘Western-type foods’ may actually improve the possibility of
achieving older ages free of chronic disease and remaining highly functional,”
concludes the study. “A better understanding of the distinction between
specific health behaviors that offer protection against diseases and those that
move individuals towards ideal aging may facilitate improvements in public
health prevention packages.” See American Journal of Medicine Press Release,
April 15, 2013.
