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4w ago

Study Links Nordic Diet Guidelines to 23% Lower Mortality in Swedish Adults

Researchers evaluated more than 76,000 people using two long-running Swedish cohorts to test adherence to sustainability-focused 2023 recommendations.

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The food-based Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 also take the environmental impact of diet into account as measured by greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and nitrogen and phosphorus utilization. Image credit: Serp Pae.

Overview

  • Participants with high adherence to the 2023 Nordic dietary guidelines had a 23% lower risk of all-cause death after adjustments for education, income, and physical activity.
  • The highest adherents also showed reduced mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease compared with lower adherents.
  • The analysis drew on the Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men, which have collected diet and lifestyle data since 1997.
  • The guidelines call for less meat and added sugar and more whole grains, legumes, fish, and low-fat dairy, and they were designed to balance health with climate impact as food systems account for roughly 30% of human-made greenhouse gases.
  • The peer-reviewed study, led by Aarhus University researchers and published in the Journal of Nutrition, reports no conflicts of interest and outlines plans to investigate effects on other health outcomes.