Higher adherence to French dietary guidelines and chronic diseases in the prospective SU.VI.MAX cohort: Diet quality and chronic diseases

International audienceBackground/Objectives: Nutritional recommendations are widely disseminated, but assessment of their predictive value for risk of chronic diseases and mortality is essential for ensuring their validity. We evaluated, in a large population-based study, the association between the French Programme National Nutrition Santé (PNNS) Guideline Score (GS) (maximum score of 15 points), an a priori-based score, and the incidences of cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and overall mortality. Subjects/Methods: Subjects included in the present analysis (n=5 823) were participants in the Supplémentation en Vitamines et Minéraux AntioXydants study (SU.VI.MAX), with available data for estimating the PNNS-GS. Hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for outcomes (cancer, CVD and death) were estimated across quartiles of PNNS-GS using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: A total of 734 major events were recorded during an average 11.6-year follow-up (maximum 13 years): 423 cancers, 193 ischemic diseases and 118 deaths. In the fully-adjusted model, a significant reduction in CVD risk between the first and fourth PNNS-GS quartiles (HR=0.65, 95% CI= 0.41, 1.00, P for trend=0.04) was observed. No significant association with risk of cancer or death was detected. Conclusions: These observations support the role of nutritional guidelines in prevention of CVD. Keywords: nutritional guidelines, dietary index, cancer, mortality, cardiovascular disease