Cohort Profile Update: The ‘Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’ (SUN) study after 24 years of follow-up

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

In 2018, Carlos et al. [2] reviewed 21 studies from the SUN project that focused on the association between the MDP and several incident chronic diseases, concluding that high Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with a lower incidence of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, depression, cognitive decline, and nephrolithiasis, and with a lower heart rate and mitigation of the effects of obesity on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes, and our results suggested that the Mediterranean diet may improve fertility. This allows us to assess risk factors associated with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality more accurately. The validated Spanish version of Ryff’s questionnaire, which is used to evaluate psychological wellbeing [7], has been included in Q18 to evaluate lifestyles associated with better wellbeing. Overall, >122 million data are available from a roster of 304 640 person-years. The baseline questionnaire information on diet a validated food questionnaire clinical preventive screening measures blood pressure, faecal occult blood, preventive strategies and personality The follow-up questionnaires on changes in dietary of or dietary diagnosis of new diseases, quality of life personality and psychological wellbeing. of the items are over time in and Participants are for the of diseases. all participants who a the records are reviewed by a in each than of the in the of the are of the research have to obtain to the records by the participants for their as are not their Since the cohort profile in the SUN project has and have been from these cohort data A of the main on the number of received is provided all since the cohort update [2] are in Table In the 2018 the that high adherence to the MDP was associated with a lower incidence of overall all-cause mortality, and diabetes, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, depression, cognitive decline, and was for of these More we have suggested that higher MDP adherence was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 = [5, 6]. association was between and cancer in women for with = = However, association was for overall breast cancer risk The risk of all-cause was to be lower for each two of per = = This association was for participants years = = than for younger participants Among more than one of per was associated with a lower breast cancer incidence with one of or per = = were among women = = of foods than per was associated with a i

@article{delafuentearrillaga2025-40882668,
  author  = {de la Fuente‐Arrillaga, Carmen and Carlos, Silvia and Toledo, Estefanía and Barbería-Latasa, María and Razquín, Cristina and Ruiz‐Canela, Miguel and Gea, Alfredo and Martínez‐González, Miguel Ángel and others},
  title   = {{Cohort Profile Update: The ‘Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’ (SUN) study after 24 years of follow-up}},
  journal = {International Journal of Epidemiology},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.1093/ije/dyaf149},
  pmid    = {40882668},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyaf149}
}

Key findings

• In 2018, Carlos et al. [2] reviewed 21 studies from the SUN project that focused on the association between the MDP and several incident chronic diseases, concluding that high Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with a lower incidence of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, depression, cognitive decline, and nephrolithiasis, and with a lower heart rate and mitigation of the effects of obesity on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes, and our results suggested that the Mediterranean diet may improve fertility.
• This allows us to assess risk factors associated with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality more accurately.
• The validated Spanish version of Ryff’s questionnaire, which is used to evaluate psychological wellbeing [7], has been included in Q18 to evaluate lifestyles associated with better wellbeing.
• Overall, >122 million data are available from a roster of 304 640 person-years.
• The baseline questionnaire information on diet a validated food questionnaire clinical preventive screening measures blood pressure, faecal occult blood, preventive strategies and personality The follow-up questionnaires on changes in dietary of or dietary diagnosis of new diseases, quality of life

Why it matters

This cohort profile update describes the SUN study and notes that earlier reviews linked high Mediterranean diet adherence to lower incidence of several chronic diseases including cognitive decline. It is an observational cohort and does not test a treatment or cure for Alzheimer's disease.

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Study details

• Study designcohort study
• Participants79
• Effect size61.5%; 90.6%; 38.5%
• Evidence strengthModerate

Read the original

• DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyaf149
• PubMed: 40882668
• Original source →
• Free full text: International Journal of Epidemiology →

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

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