The Japanese food score and risk of all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study

Abstract

Few studies have reported the association between the Japanese diet as food score and mortality. This study aimed to investigate adherence to the Japanese food score associated with all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality. A total of 58 767 (23 162 men and 34 232 women) Japanese participants aged 40-79 years, who enrolled in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study between 1988 and 1990, were included. The Japanese food score was derived from the components of seven food groups (beans and bean products, fresh fishes, vegetables, Japanese pickles, fungi, seaweeds and fruits) based on the FFQ. The total score ranged from 0 to 7, and participants were divided into five categories based on scores (0-2, 3, 4, 5 and 6-7). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI for all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality based on sex were estimated using Cox proportional models. During the follow-up period until 2009, 11 692 participants with all-cause, 3408 with CVD and 4247 with cancer died. The multivariable HR in the 6-7 and 0-2 Japanese food score groups were 0·93 (95 % CI 0·86, 1·01) in men and 0·82 (95 % CI 0·75, 0·90) in women for all-cause mortality and 0·89 (95 % CI 0·76, 1·04) in men and 0·66 (95 % CI 0·56, 0·77) in women for CVD mortality. Our findings suggest that adherence to the Japanese food score consisting of food combinations characterised by a Japanese diet may help in preventing all-cause and CVD mortality, especially in women.

A cross-sectional study of the associations between the traditional Japanese diet and nutrient intakes: the NILS-LSA project

“…The previous study had suggested that a dietary pattern with similar weights contributed to higher overall nutrient adequacy and lower oxidative stress [8]. Another study has also indicated that a Japanese food score that did not encourage rice intake was related to lower cardiovascular disease mortality [1]. These findings suggest that, although rice is a staple food in Japan, a diet that includes excessive and single intake of rice may not be desirable.…”

“…Previous studies have reported that a traditional Japanese diet is associated with a lower risk of mortality [1][2][3] and adverse health outcomes (e.g. disability, dementia, depression) [4][5][6][7].…”

Dietary Factors and Risks of Cardiovascular Diseases: An Umbrella Review

“…However, diets in other regions are different from those in Western countries, and it is not practical to recommend Western dietary patterns to other regions, e.g., Asian countries. Recently, the Japan Collaborative Cohort study that evaluated the effect of high Japanese food scores (i.e., high of consumption of rice, miso soup, seaweeds, pickles, green and yellow vegetables, fish, and green tea, and low consumption of beef, pork, and coffee) found that adherence to a Japanese food score may have benefits for CVD prevention [74]. However, more evidence is needed to confirm the benefits of Japanese food and other Asian dietary patterns on CVD prevention.…”

Japanese Diet Score Is Associated with Gut Microbiota Composition in Young Japanese Adults

“…In recent years, the Japanese diet (JD) has drawn attention as a distinct diet. In order to evaluate the habitual Japanese diet intake, JD scores have been used as a major approach in nutritional epidemiology research (13,14). The JD score is an index indicating that food groups such as vegetables, fruits, fish, and E-mail: seurat@asu.aasa.ac.jp pickles, are characterized by JD patterns.…”

“…The JD score is an index indicating that food groups such as vegetables, fruits, fish, and E-mail: seurat@asu.aasa.ac.jp pickles, are characterized by JD patterns. Recent studies indicate that higher JD scores prevent chronic diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders (13). Moreover, the intake of individual food groups, including vegetables and fruits, is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (15).…”