Are the advantages of the Mediterranean diet transferable to other populations? A cohort study in Melbourne, Australia | British Journal of Nutrition | Cambridge Core (original) (raw)

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A prospective cohort study, involving 141 Anglo-Celts and 189 Greek-Australians of both sexes aged 70 years or more, was undertaken in Melbourne, Australia. The objective was to evaluate whether adherence to the principles of the Mediterranean diet affects survival of elderly people in developed non-Mediterranean countries. Diet was assessed using an extensive validated questionnaire on food intake. A one unit increase in a diet score, devised a priori on the basis of eight key features of the traditional common diet in the Mediterranean region, was associated with a 17 % reduction in overall mortality (two-tailed P value 0·07). Mortality reduction with increasing diet score was at least as evident among Anglo-Celts as among Greek-Australians. We conclude that a diet that adheres to the principles of the traditional Mediterranean diet is associated with longer survival among Australians of either Greek or Anglo-Celtic origin.

References

Bain, C, Macrae, FA, Lambert, JR, Wahlqvist, MC, Selbie, L, Brouwer, R & MacLennan, R (1990) The Australian Polyp Prevention Project: compliance to randomized dietary intervention. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 15, 80–87.Google Scholar

Breslow, NE & Day, NE (1987) Statistical Methods in Cancer Research. Vol II. The Design and Analysis of Cohort Studies. IARC Scientific Publication no. 82. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer.Google Scholar

Cashel, K, English, R & Lewis, J (1988) Composition of Foods-Australia. Canberra: Department of Community Services and Health, Australian Government Printing Services.Google Scholar

Davidson, S, Passmore, R, Brock, JF & Truswell, AS (1979) Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 7th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.Google Scholar

Hage, BH-H, Oliver, RG, Powles, JW & Wahlqvist, ML (1990) Telephone directory listings of presumptive Chinese surnames: an appropriate sampling frame for a dispersed population with characteristic surnames. Epidemiology 1, 405–408.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Helsing, E & Trichopoulou, A (editors) (1989) The Mediterranean diet and food culture: a symposium. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 43, Suppl. 2, 1–92.Google Scholar

Ireland, P, Jolley, D, Giles, G, O'Dea, K, Powles, J, Rutishauser, I, Wahlqvist, ML & Williams, J (1994) Development of the Melbourne FFQ: a food frequency questionnaire for use in an Australian prospective study involving an ethnically diverse cohort. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 3, 19–31.Google Scholar

Keys, A (1980) Seven Countries: A Multivariate Analysis of Death and Coronary Heart Disease. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Kouris-Blazos, A, Wahlqvist, ML, Trichopoulou, A, Polychronopoulos, E & Trichopoulos, D (1996) Health and nutritional status of elderly Greek migrants to Melbourne, Australia. Age and Ageing 25, 177–189.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

MacLennan, R, Bain, C, Macrae, F, Gratten, H, Battistutta, D & Bokey, EL (1990) Design and implementation of the Australian Polyp Prevention Project. In Frontiers of Gastrointestinal Research, pp. 60–73 [Rozen, P, Reich, CB andWinawer, SJ, editors]. Basel, Switzerland: Karger.Google Scholar

National Research Council (1989) Diet and Health. Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar

Rutishauser, I & Wahlqvist, ML (1983) Food intake patterns of Greek migrants to Melbourne in relation to duration of stay. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 8, 49–55.Google Scholar

Trichopoulou, A (1992) Composition of Greek Foods and Dishes (). Athens: Athens School of Public Health.Google Scholar

Trichopoulou, A, Kampman, E, Kolias, E & Georga, K (1988) A Photographic Method to Estimate Food and Nutrient Intake in Greece – User's Manual. Athens: Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry, Athens School of Public Health.Google Scholar

Trichopoulou, A, Kouris-Blazos, A, Vassilakou, T, Gnardellis, C, Polychronopoulos, E, Venizelos, M, Lagiou, P, Wahlqvist, M & Trichopoulos, D (1995 a) The diet and survival of elderly Greeks: a link to the past. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61, Suppl. 6, 1346–1350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Trichopoulou, A, Kouris-Blazos, A, Wahlqvist, M, Gnardellis, C, Lagiou, P, Polychronopoulos, E, Vassilakou, T, Lipworth, L & Trichopoulos, D (1995 b) Diet and overall survival in elderly people. British Medical Journal 311, 1457–1460.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Trichopoulou, A, Lagiou, P & Trichopoulos, D (1994) Traditional Greek diet and coronary heart disease. Journal of Cardiovascular Risk 1, 9–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Wahlqvist, ML, Hsu-Hage, BH-H, Kouris-Blazos, A & Lukito, W (editors) (1995) Food Habits in Later Life: A Cross-Cultural Study. Melbourne: Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition & United Nations University Press (CD Rom).Google Scholar

World Health Organization (1996) World Health Statistics Annual. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar

Young, C (1992) Mortality, the ultimate indicator of survival: the differential experience between birthplace groups. In Immigrants in Australia: A Health Profile, pp. 34–70 [Donovan, J, d'Espaignet, EM, Merton, C andvan Ommeron, M, editors]. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.Google Scholar