: This study was a secondary analysis of data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing
(ALSA). The ALSA is a multi-dimensional population based study of human ageing which commenced in
1992 with 2087 participants aged 65 years or more. Data from a 170-item food frequency questionnaire
administered at baseline in 1992 to 1034 older adults free from cancer and CVD was explored using factor
analysis to identify dominant dietary patterns, being those patterns which comprise foods commonly
consumed by the sample. Pooled logistic regression from data available at baseline, 2 and 8 years of
follow-up was used to determine whether any associations existed between dietary patterns and
development of or death from cancer or CVD.