Research
Mixed
Dietary patterns (DPs) constructed using either a priori indices or a posteriori data-driven methods consistently show that 'healthy' or 'prudent' patterns are associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease, whereas 'Western' patterns are associated with increased risk.
Whether you use a predefined healthy diet index or look at your actual eating habits, prioritizing plant-based foods, fish, and whole grains over processed foods and sugars leads to better health outcomes. The method of tracking doesn't change the result.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Systematic reviews of feeding trials and prospective population studies of DPs and chronic disease risk reach similar conclusions regardless of the methodology used to construct DPs.
Why this rating
Based on systematic reviews of multiple studies using different methodologies.
Source
What do review papers conclude about food and dietary patterns?
Elisabet Wirfält et al. · Food & Nutrition Research · 2013
DOI 10.3402/fnr.v57i0.20523
narrative_reviewCited 175×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Mixed
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