Modifiable Lifestyle Recommendations and Mortality in Denmark: A Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION

Modifiable lifestyle behaviors represent a central target for public health interventions. This study investigates the association between adherence to 4 modifiable lifestyle recommendations and all-cause, cancer, or cardiovascular disease mortality.

METHODS

Investigators used data from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort (1993-2013; N=54,276). Lifestyle recommendations included smoking (never smoking), diet (adherence to 6 national food-based dietary guidelines), alcohol consumption (≤7 units per week for women and ≤14 units per week for men), and physical activity (≥30 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time physical activity). Pseudo-values were used to estimate the adjusted risk differences and 95% CIs for all-cause, cancer, or cardiovascular disease mortality. Data were analyzed in 2019-2020.

RESULTS

A total of 8,860 participants died during a median follow-up of 17.0 years. Adherence to all modifiable lifestyle recommendations was associated with an 18.46% (95% CI= -20.52%, -16.41%) lower absolute risk of all-cause mortality than no adherence. Never smokers had a 13.19% (95% CI= -13.95%, -12.44%) lower risk, those adhering to dietary guidelines (diet score ≥5) had a 7.52% (95% CI= -8.89%, -6.14%) lower risk, and those adhering to recommended levels of alcohol (2.11%, 95% CI= -2.75%, -1.48%) and physical activity (1.58%, 95% CI= -2.20%, -1.00%) had a lower risk than those who did not adhere. Stronger associations were observed in men than in women and in older than in middle-aged participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that adherence to modifiable lifestyle recommendations is associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, underlining the importance of supporting adherence to national guidelines for lifestyle recommendations.