X-Message-Number: 27841
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 21:25:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: legumes, not calories important for survival

[...in older people at least. Numerous studies have found that dietary
quality is important, but quantity is not.]

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2004;13(Suppl):S137.
Body mass index is not a significant predictor of survival amongst older
people.
  Introduction: As the population ages, more attention for emergent
problems of health and disease in the elderly is needed. The
International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) subcommittee on
Nutrition and Ageing, in conjunction with the World Health Organization
(WHO) global program for the elderly, embarked on the 'Food Habits in
Later Life' (FHILL): a cross-cultural study to test key hypotheses in
relation to food habits, health status and social variables in the
elderly in 1987. That obesity is associated with increased morbidity and
mortality requires specific consideration with advancing
years. Objective: To investigate whether the so-called a healthy BMI (a
widely used and simple tool to measure body fatness), between 20-25
kg/m2, predicts 7-year survival amongst elderly (aged 70 years and
over) from long-lived cultures namely Japanese in Japan, Swedes in
Sweden, Anglo-Celtics in Australia, and Greeks in Greece and
Australia. Methods: Baseline data of height and weight were used to
calculate BMI from FHILL study participants (n=785). BMI was classified
as low (BMI<20), healthy (20< or =BMI<25), overweight (25
<or=(BMI>or=30), and obesity (BMI(30). Healthy BMI was used as a reference
point. All cause mortality from up to seven years follow-up was used as
study endpoint. Each Cox Proportional Hazard model was adjusted to age at
enrolment (in 5-year intervals), gender, smoking and general health
status and was developed to analyse the survival data.
Results: Having a low BMI or being underweight/undernutrition (RR
1.45: 95% CI 0.85-2.58), being overweight (RR 1.16; 95% CI 0.75-1.78), or
being obese (RR 0.97: 95% CI 0.55-1.74) did not significantly reduce or
increase mortality as opposed to being in a healthy BMI group in the
FHILL population.
Conclusions: The FHILL study shows that mortality advantage conferred by
having healthy BMI was not evident amongst elderly from longevity
cultures. Body fatness, following adjustment for age at enrolment,
gender, smoking, and general health status, was not found to be a
significant predictor of 7-year survival. Further research may provide
better understanding of the relation between optimal BMI and survival
amongst older people.

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2004;13(Suppl):S126.
Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people
of different ethnicities.
  Introduction: Nutrition plays an important role in the maintenance and
improvement of human life expectancy. The 'Food Habits in Later Life'
(FHILL) is a cross-cultural study conducted under the auspices of the
International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) and the World Health
Organization (WHO). Baseline data on food habits, health status and social
variables were collected from five cohorts aged 70 and over (Japanese in
Japan, Swedes in Sweden, Anglo-Celtic in Australia, Greeks in Australia
and Greece). Objective: To identify protective dietary predictors amongst
long-lived elderly people (n=785) from the FHILL population after
controlling for ethnicity. Methods: The validated FFQ were used to
collect data on food intakes in all cohorts except Japanese where the 3d
weighed food record method was employed. Intakes in gram/week were
calculated by multiplying the serving size by the weekly frequency of
intake. These values were further translated into gram/day and were
adjusted to 2500 kcal (10,460 kJ) for men and 2000 kcal (8,368 kJ) for
women. Food items were grouped into nine food groups based on key
features of the Traditional Mediterranean Diet (vegetables, legumes,
fruits and nuts, cereals (including starchy roots), dairy products, meat,
fish, monounsaturated: saturated ratio, and ethanol). All-cause mortality
data were obtained from up to seven years follow-up. Alternative Cox
Proportional Hazard model adjusted to age at enrolment (in 5-year
interval), gender, and smoking was developed to analyse the survival
data. Each Cox model was tested against controlling for cohorts' location
and ethnicity. Results: Only for legumes intake was the result plausible,
consistent and statistically significant across collective FHILL cohort's
data. There is a 7% - 8% reduction in mortality hazard ratio for every 20g
increase in daily legume intake with adjustment for location/ethnicity
(RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.85 - 0.99) and without adjustment for
location/ethnicity (RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.87 - 0.99). Conclusions: This
longitudinal study shows that a higher legume intake is the most
protective dietary predictor of survival amongst the elderly, regardless
of their ethnicity. The significance of legumes persisted even after
controlling for age at enrolment (in 5-year interval), gender, and
smoking. Legumes have been associated with long-lived food cultures such
as the Japanese (soy, tofu, natto, miso), the Swedes (brown beans, peas),
and the Mediterranean people (lentils, chickpeas, white beans).

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2004;13(2):217-20.
Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people
of different ethnicities.
  To identify protective dietary predictors amongst long-lived elderly
people (N= 785), the "Food Habits in Later Life "(FHILL) study was
undertaken among five cohorts in Japan, Sweden, Greece and
Australia. Between 1988 and 1991, baseline data on food intakes were
collected. There were 785 participants aged 70 and over that were followed
up to seven years. Based on an alternative Cox Proportional Hazard model
adjusted to age at enrollment (in 5-year intervals), gender and smoking,
the legume food group showed 7-8% reduction in mortality hazard ratio for
every 20g increase in daily intake with or without controlling for
ethnicity (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.85-0.99 and RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.87-0.99,
respectively). Other food groups were not found to be consistently
significant in predicting survival amongst the FHILL cohorts.

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