Abstract P209: Late-Life Dietary Intake and Risk of All-Cause Mortality in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) Study

Abstract

Introduction: Older populations have been growing dramatically worldwide. Aging may lead to changes in diet quality. There is a need to better understand dietary intake during late-life and the impact on health outcomes. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that adherence to healthy dietary patterns, i.e., the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the alternate Mediterranean (aMED) diets, would be associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality. Methods: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study participants aged 60-83 years who attended a study visit in 2005-2006 were included (n=1,069). Dietary intake was assessed with a 131-item Willett food frequency questionnaire. Adherence to healthy dietary patterns was assessed using a priori scores for DASH and aMED. We used Cox proportional hazards models to study the association between tertiles of healthy dietary patterns and all-cause mortality through December 31, 2019. Results: There were 452 deaths observed over a median follow-up of 13 years (12,564.3 person-years). Incidence rates were lower in the third tertile, indicating high adherence to healthy dietary patterns (DASH: 32.9 per 1,000 person-years; aMED: 28.5 per 1,000 person-years), compared to the first tertile (DASH: 39.6 per 1,000 person-years; aMED: 40.0 per 1,000 person-years). Participants in the third vs. first tertile for adherence to the DASH and aMED diets had a 22% and 37% lower risk of all-cause mortality, respectively [hazard ratio for DASH: 0.78 (95% CI, 0.62 - 0.98); aMED: 0.63 (95% CI, 0.49 - 0.83)] after adjusting for age, sex, race, study centers and total energy intake. An approximately linear, inverse relationship was observed between healthy dietary patterns and risk of all-cause mortality for both DASH and aMED ( Figure ). Conclusion: Higher adherence to healthy dietary patterns, specifically the DASH and aMED diets, is associated with lower risk of mortality among older adults. Following a healthy diet may improve survival in the aging population.