Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Relation Of Dietary Patterns To Future Survival, Health, And Cardiovascular Events In Older Adults, Paula Diehr

Paula Diehr

BACKGROUND: There have been few long-term follow-up studies of older adults who follow different dietary patterns. METHODS: We cluster-analyzed data on dietary fat, fiber, protein, carbohydrate, and calorie consumption from the U.S. Cardiovascular Health Study (mean age=73), and examined the relationship of the dietary clusters to outcomes 10 years later. RESULTS: The five clusters were named "Healthy diet" (relatively high in fiber and carbohydrate and low in fat), "Unhealthy diet" (relatively high in protein and fat, relatively low in carbohydrates and fiber); "High Calorie," "Low Calorie," and "Low 4," which was distinguished by higher alcohol consumption. The clusters were strongly …