Examining the link between adherence to the planetary health diet pattern and mortality in the us: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Though the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) is designed to enhance both human and environmental health, there is limited understanding of how adherence to PHD influences the risk of mortality in the general US adult population. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the Planetary Health Diet Index for the United States (PHDI-US) and mortality among adults in the overall population of the United States.

Methods: The PHDI-US comprises 16 components, assigned scores ranging from 0 to 150, with higher scores signifying a greater level of adherence to the PHD. Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning 2005 to 2018, with mortality data linked through December 2019.

Results: This study encompassed 30,521 participants (mean [SD] age, 47.02 [17.01] years; 14,817 males [48.0%]). Over an average follow-up period of 8.50 years, there were 3,706 recorded deaths. In the adjusted multivariable model, individuals in the highest quintile of PHDI-US exhibited a reduced risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.64; 95% CI, 0.54-0.75), cardiovascular disease mortality (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.55-0.97), cancer mortality (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.52-0.89), and other-cause mortality (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.46-0.72) compared to those in the lowest quintile.

Conclusion: Adherence to a PHD pattern was associated with lower mortality risk in the general US adult population.