Nordic diet linked to prolonged survival free from dementia and disability: Study

High NPDP adherence prolonged lifespan without mental and physical disability by an average of 1.24 years.

China: High adherence to Nordic Prudent Diet Pattern (NPDP) lengthens survival with good physical and mental function in older adults for more than one year, show findings from a recent study in the journal Clinical Nutrition. Further, NPDP accompanied with a favorable lifestyle could increase this to almost four years. 

Previous studies have shown a healthy diet to be associated with decreased mortality but its effect on survival without disability is ambiguous. To fill this knowledge gap, Wei Wu and colleagues aimed to investigate the association between NPDP and disability- and dementia-free survival and to assess its interaction with other lifestyle behaviors.

For this purpose, the researchers followed 2290 dementia- and disability-free adults aged ≥60 from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care-Kungsholmen. They were followed up to 12 years to detect survival free from dementia (standard criteria) and disability (Katz's Activities of Daily Living).

NPDP index was assessed at baseline with a 98-item food frequency questionnaire (characterized mainly by more frequent intakes of vegetable, fruit, cooking, cereals, whole grains, fish, and water) and was further categorized into tertiles (low, moderate, or high). They collected information on lifestyle factors via a baseline questionnaire. 

A favorable (vs unfavorable) lifestyle profile was determined based on smoking status, social network, and physical activity. 

"Our findings showed that high adherence to NPDP prolongs survival with good mental and physical function for more than one year, and this could increase to almost four years with a favorable lifestyle," concluded the authors.