A healthy diet ‘is associated with reduced risk of dying prematurely’

Eating a healthy diet reduces a person's risk of dying prematurely, recent research has suggested.

A study published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association notes that the leading causes of death are no longer infectious diseases but chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The researchers behind the study claim that these illnesses could be affected by diet.

They looked at the association between dietary patterns and mortality by analysing the eating habits of more than 2,500 adults aged between 70 and 79 over a ten-year period.

Results of the study show that older adults who consume relatively high amounts of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry and fish could have a lower risk of dying prematurely.

Earlier this month, researchers from the University of Oxford claimed that up to 15,000 deaths a year cold be prevented if people ate five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

How healthy would you say your diet is?