The traditional Greek food pattern and overall survival in elderly people.

Evidence in support of the beneficial properties of the traditional Greek food pattern (TGFP) has recently become available. In prospective cohort studies of elderly people in rural Greece (n = 182), Greek-born (n = 189) and Anglo-Celtic Australians (n = 141), and Danes in Denmark (n = 202), it was found that adherence to the TGFP was associated with lower overall mortality and longer survival, irrespective of the types of foods consumed within food groups and the mode of food preparation. A higher TGFP score was significantly associated with a sharply reduced risk of death, by 17-23% per one unit increase and by more than 50% per four unit increase in the different cultural settings. Elderly Anglo-Celtic Australians had 80% higher mortality than the elderly Greek-born Australians; 37% of the excess mortality of the Anglo-Celts could be explained in terms of their different dietary habits and specifically their different extent of adherence to the TGFP. The key messages from these studies are: I. a TGFP is beneficial to survival of elderly people; 2. the longevity of Mediterranean people can be explained in part by their varied diet; 3. the overall TGFP is more important for longevity than individual food groups; and 4. similar survival advantage can be obtained by applying the TGFP to other dietary cultures, irrespective of the types of foods consumed and the mode of food preparation. Whether or not further mortality benefit may have been obtained in the non-Greek cohorts if foods were prepared according to Greek cuisine, requires further study. [Aust J Nutr Diet 1998;55(4 Suppl)S20-S23]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]