Table 2.
Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) Mean (SD) for Averaged Full Score and Components Over All Dietary Visits, by Dietary Pattern Trajectory Class Among Men and Women (since 1978) Aged 30–59 Years in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, 1961–2008
| AHEI Class 1 (greatly improved) | AHEI Class 2 (moderately improved) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHEI score for: | |||
| Vegetables | 3.0 (1.6) | 2.4 (1.3) | <.001 |
| Fruits | 2.2 (1.5) | 1.4 (1.2) | <.001 |
| Whole grains | 2.7 (2.0) | 1.4 (1.4) | <.001 |
| Sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice | 4.9 (3.4) | 3.2 (3.2) | <.001 |
| Legume and nuts | 5.8 (3.3) | 3.7 (2.9) | <.001 |
| Red and processed meat | 5.7 (3.0) | 2.2 (2.6) | <.001 |
| Trans fat | 6.0 (2.0) | 4.1 (2.0) | <.001 |
| Omega-3 fatty acid | 6.5 (3.1) | 4.7 (3.1) | <.001 |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acid | 6.4 (2.1) | 5.6 (1.7) | <.001 |
| Alcohol | 6.2 (3.1) | 4.8 (3.1) | <.001 |
| Sodium | 5.7 (2.7) | 4.6 (2.7) | <.001 |
| AHEI overall score | 55.2 (7.2) | 38.0 (7.2) | <.001 |