Living longer and lifestyle: A report on the oldest of the old in the Adventist Health Study-2.

Abstract

Objective: This investigation aimed to evaluate and describe the health profile and dietary patterns of the oldest Adventists (individuals aged 80 years and older).

Design: Cross-sectional investigation.

Setting: Self-administered lifestyle questionnaire in Adventist congregations in North America.

Participants: 7192 individuals aged 80 years of age or older enrolled in the Adventist Health Study-2.

Measurements: Dietary intakes for participants were evaluated using a self-administered quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Selected health outcomes data were assessed with the baseline self-administered medical history questionnaire.

Results: Our cohort of the old adults Adventists had a predominant female participation (62 %), and the percentage of vegetarians was 52.7 %. Based on classification into respective dietary patterns, 7.8 % of the study population were vegan, 29.2 % of the participants were lacto-ovo vegetarians, 10.2 % were pesco-vegetarians, 5.5 % were semi-vegetarians, and 47.3 % were non-vegetarians. Regarding the assessment of prevalent conditions, non-vegetarians were more likely to report having hypertension than other dietary patterns. Semi-vegetarians and non-vegetarians were more likely to report high cholesterol. A large number of participants reported never smoking (78.5 %) and never drinking alcoholic beverages (57.8 %), and non-vegetarians reported the poorest health perception (20 %) compared to vegans (11.4 %).

Conclusion: Our Adventist Health oldest of the old cohort shared many of the characteristics observed among the individuals that make up the long-living cohorts worldwide as well as younger aged Adventist participants. This observation indicates the importance of non-smoking, abstinence from alcohol consumption, daily engagement in regular physical activity, avoidance of disease in older ages, and following a plant-based diet concerning the potential for successful aging.