Food preferences and mortality risk in the prospective cohort of UK Biobank participants

Abstract

Food preferences may serve as less biased proxies for self-reported food intake in predicting health outcomes but have not yet been linked to mortality risk. We included 177,148 UK Biobank participants who completed a food preference questionnaire (FPQ), with a mean follow-up of 3.4 years (607,779 person-years; 3355 deaths). High versus low preference for 140 food items was tested using Cox regression with Holm adjustment. Sensitivity analyses excluded participants with key health conditions, additional supplement use, or short follow-up, added BMI and physical activity as covariates, and redefined preference groups. Higher preference for asparagus (hazard ratio (95% confidence interval)): 0.69 (0.62, 0.77)), aubergine (0.79 (0.72, 0.87)), black pepper (0.72 (0.64, 0.81)), broccoli (0.69 (0.61, 0.79)), butternut squash (0.75 (0.68, 0.83)), and extra virgin olive oil (0.67 (0.58, 0.78)) was linked to lower all-cause mortality, whereas higher preference for regular fizzy drinks (1.38 (1.24, 1.54)) was linked to higher mortality across all analyses. Specific food preferences are associated with all-cause mortality risk. FPQs may, therefore, complement conventional dietary assessments. Further studies should examine their associations with metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes.