Diet and overall survival in a cohort of very elderly people

We conducted a 5-year cohort study among 162 self-sufficient residents in a public home for the elderly in Rome, Italy, to evaluate the association be tween the consumption of specific food groups and nutrients and overall 5-y ear survival. We used a validated, semiquantitative food-frequency question naire to assess diet at baseline. Individuals consuming citrus fruit at lea st twice a week had an adjusted risk of dying chat was half that of individ uals who consumed citrus fruit Less than once a week [relative risk (RR) = 0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.28-0.95] (with adjustment for gender , age, education, body mass index, smoking status, cognitive function, and chronic diseases). The adjusted RRs of mortality were 0.38 (95% CI = 0.14-1 .01) for consumption of milk and yogurt at least three times a week vs less than once a week; 0.21 (95% CI = 0.08-0.35) for moderate consumption of es presso coffee (1-2 cups weekly) vs less than once a week; and 0.35 (95% CI = 0.17-0.69) for >2 cups a week of espresso coffee us less than once a week . High levels of intake of ascorbic acid, riboflavin, and linoleic acid wer e associated with 50-60% decreases in mortality risk. High consumption of m eat was associated with a higher risk of mortality (RR = 9.72; 95% CI = 2.6 8-35.1) among subjects with chronic diseases. Our findings indicate that fr equent consumption of citrus fruit, milk, and yogurt; low consumption of me at; and high intake of vitamin C, riboflavin, and linoleic acid are associa ted with longevity.