Macro partitioning

A predefined healthy food index based on current recommendations (fruits, vegetables, wholemeal bread) is inversely associated with all-cause mortality, but this association is attenuated after adjusting for lifestyle confounders.

While a healthy food index (fruits, veg, whole grains) shows a link to lower mortality, this link weakens when accounting for smoking, exercise, and BMI. This suggests that lifestyle factors are critical co-drivers of health, and diet alone may not tell the whole story.