Mediterranean diet and age with respect to overall survival in institutionalized, nonsmoking elderly people

Background: In studies from Italy and Greece, a Mediterranean dietary patte rn was shown to favorably affect life expectancy in the elderly population. This pattern is thought to reduce the risk of cancer in addition to being cardioprotective. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the interactive effe cts of the Mediterranean diet and age with respect to survival after contro lling for several other variables that could be considered as confounders: age, sex, body mass index, albumin concentration, physical activity, self-a ssessment of health, and dieting in response to chronic conditions. Design: This was a cohort study involving 161 nonsmoking elderly subjects ( 74 subjects aged <80 y and 87 subjects aged greater than or equal to 80 y) living in Spain. The subjects were followed up for greater than or equal to 9 y. Diet was assessed with a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnair e. Results: A diet score based on 8 characteristics of the traditional diet in the Mediterranean region was associated with a significant reduction in ov erall mortality in elderly subjects aged <80 y but not in subjects aged gre ater than or equal to 80 y. A unit increase in the diet score predicted a 3 1% reduction in mortality in subjects aged <80 y (95% CI: 7%, 57%). Conclusion: Efforts to promote adherence to the Mediterranean dietary patte rn appear to be worthwhile in persons aged <80 y, in whom the diet predicts survival, but we do not have any available evidence that such a diet benef its subjects aged greater than or equal to 80 y.