Mortality risk in relation to diet quality assessed by the 2023 nutri-score nutrient profiling model: a prospective analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The updated Nutri-Score nutrient profiling model (uNS-NPM), revised in 2023, aims to better align with dietary guidelines and improve health outcomes prediction. However, evidence assessing its validity and applicability remains limited, particularly in Spanish populations. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prospective association between diet quality, assessed using the uNS-NPM dietary index (DI), and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in older adults at high cardiovascular risk. METHODS: A prospective analysis within the PREDIMED cohort, with 7,212 participants aged 55-80 years at high cardiovascular risk was conducted. Diet was assessed by validated food frequency questionnaires, and the uNS-NPM DI was computed to quantify overall dietary quality. Time-dependent Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause, cardiovascular, cancer, and other-cause mortality across quintiles of the average cumulative uNS-NPM DI, adjusting for relevant confounders. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 6 years, 425 deaths occurred (103 cardiovascular, 169 cancers, 153 other causes). Participants in the highest quintile of the uNS-NPM DI (reflecting poorer diet quality) had a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.19-2.28; p-trend = 0.007) and a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR: 3.21; 95% CI: 1.29-7.95; p-trend = 0.002) compared to those participants in the lowest quintile. Participants in the highest quintile of uNS-NPM DI had also an increased risk of death from other causes (HR: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.11-3.07), although the trend was not statistically significant p-trend = 169). For cancer mortality, no significant association was observed (HR for highest vs. lowest quintile: 1.16; 95% CI: 0.69-1.92 p-trend = 0.695). CONCLUSIONS: In this Mediterranean cohort of older adults at high cardiovascular risk, lower dietary quality, assessed with the uNS-NPM DI, was prospectively associated with higher risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and other-cause mortality. These findings support the uNS-NPM DI as a valuable tool for diet quality assessment.
Source: European Journal of Nutrition
Authors: Nadine Khoury, Jose Cándido Fernández-Cao, Noushin Mohammadifard, Miguel Ángel Martinez-González, Dolores Corella, Montserrat Fitó, Ramón Estruch, Lucas Tojal-Sierra, Enrique Gómez Gracias, Miquel Fiol, José Lapetra, Lluís Serra-Majem, Xavier Pintó, Zenaida Vázquez-Ruiz, Jose V. Sorli, Helmut Schröder, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Nancy Babio
Institutions: Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, University of Atacama, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Harvard University, Universidad de Navarra, Universitat de València, Hospital Del Mar, Municipal Institute for Medical Research, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer, Universitat de Barcelona, Universidad de Málaga, University of the Basque Country, Hospital Universitario Araba, Osakidetza, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria, Bellvitge University Hospital, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Language: English
Topic: Nutritional Studies and Diet
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,890
OpenAlex ID: W7140184534