The Study
Dietary habits and all-cause mortality risk in the adult population. Results of a 6-year prospective follow-up of the ESSE-RF study cohort
This study watched what people ate and then saw who got sick or passed away over 6 years. It found that people who ate more salt or pickles tended to die sooner, and those who ate cheese or meat tended to live longer — but it didn’t make people change their diets to prove it caused the difference.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at what Russians eat and how it affects how long they live over 6 years.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 560 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — cutting salt and pickles, and eating more veggies, cheese, and dairy (especially for women) could meaningfully extend life.
- 2Eating veggies/fruit daily lowers death risk by 23%.
- 3Eating too much salt or pickles raises death risk by 31–60%.
- 4Women who eat red meat, cheese, or milk daily live longer.
- 5Men don't get this benefit from red meat.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Cardiovascular Therapy and Prevention
Year
2024
Authors
N. S. Karamnova, A. Kapustina, V. Kutsenko, O. B. Shvabskaia, Y. Balanova, S. Evstifeeva, A. Imaeva, M. Kotova, S. Maksimov, G. Muromtseva, N. V. Kulakova, O. Kalachikova, T. Chernykh, O. A. Belova, G. Artamonova, Yu. I. Grinshtein, R. Libis, O. Rotar, I. Trubacheva, A. Efanov, S. Shalnova, O. Drapkina
Related Content
Claims (7)
People who eat cheese have the same or lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who eat less cheese.
In Russian adults aged 35–64, eating pickled foods every day is linked to a higher risk of death from any cause, with men facing a greater increase than women, and this is related to the high sodium and preservatives in these foods.
People in Russia who regularly add salt to their food or eat a lot of processed foods with high sodium have a higher risk of dying from any cause compared to those who do not, with men showing a greater increase in risk.
Russian women aged 35–64 who regularly eat cheese and drink milk-based products have a 32–36% lower rate of death from any cause compared to those who do not.
People in Russia who eat vegetables and fruits every day have a 23% lower risk of dying from any cause, but this lower risk is not observed in women after accounting for other lifestyle factors.
Adults in Russia who eat fruits and vegetables every day and avoid too much salt have a 29% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who do not follow this eating pattern.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.