Dietary patterns including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and lean meats lowered mortality risk in women
QUESTION: Is overall diet quality associated with mortality in women?
Design
Cohort study of women in the Breast Cancer Detection and Demonstration Project (BCDDP) with a median follow up of 5.6 years.
Setting
27 cities in the US.
Participants
42 254 women (mean age 61 y, 87% white).
Assessment of risk factors
Women completed a 62 item food frequency questionnaire by post, which collected information on the frequency and portion sizes of foods consumed over the previous year. Overall diet quality was assessed by the Recommended Foods Score (RFS), which was the sum of 23 foods (consumed at least once a week; maximum score 23) that were recommended in current dietary guidelines (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, lean meats, and poultry). For analysis, women were divided into quartiles …
