Study links vegetable-rich diets to longer life and lower cardiovascular risk

A new Canadian study suggests that analyzing diets as interconnected food networks may provide a better understanding of how eating habits influence long-term health than evaluating individual foods alone.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia analyzed dietary and health data from Canadian adults using a machine learning-based network approach to examine how combinations of foods are associated with mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and life expectancy. The findings were published in The Journal of Nutrition.

Rather than studying foods separately, the researchers treated each food group as part of a network, identifying groups of foods that are commonly consumed together and examining how these dietary patterns relate to health outcomes.

The analysis identified three major dietary patterns. The first was a vegetable-rich pattern, including various vegetables, legumes, soy products, soups, pasta, rice, and vegetable oils, while fast food was negatively associated with this pattern. The second was characterized by high consumption of sugary beverages and low fruit intake, accompanied by refined grains and salty snacks. The third represented a high-fat breakfast pattern, consisting of solid fats, coffee, sugar, processed meats, eggs, pancakes, and waffles.

The vegetable-rich dietary pattern was associated with the most favorable health outcomes. Compared with participants whose adherence to this pattern was low, those with the highest adherence had a 51% lower risk of death from any cause, a 45% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and an estimated increase in life expectancy of 8.3 years for women and 6.1 years for men.

In contrast, greater adherence to the sugary beverage–low fruit pattern was associated with a 31% higher overall risk of death and a 39% higher mortality risk among men. No statistically significant association was observed among women.

The high-fat breakfast pattern was not significantly associated with either all-cause mortality or cardiovascular disease.

The researchers emphasize that the study identifies associations rather than cause-and-effect relationships. However, they believe that dietary network analysis could help develop more personalized dietary recommendations and improve strategies for preventing chronic diseases.

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