To evaluate the effect on longevity of a diet that is concurrent with common 
dietary guidelines, a simple diet scoring system was developed and applied in a 
follow-up study of 2,820 middle-aged Dutch civil servants and their spouses. In 
the early 1950s those civil servants were seen for a health examination that 
included a dietary survey. Consumption frequency data of the quantitatively most 
important food items at that time were used for the diet scoring. Overall 
survival after 25 years was 46.8% among men and 68.6% among women. In men, a 
significant positive association between prudent diet score and 25-year, 
age-adjusted survival could be demonstrated. Of the 10 food items that 
constituted the diet score, a higher intake of brown bread, porridge and/or 
yogurt, vegetables, fish, and fruit was associated with a slightly better 
survival. In a separate analysis we had found a significant inverse relationship 
between coffee consumption and survival. A similar trend, which, however, was 
not significant, was observed for alcohol intake. In women, the results for the 
separate food items were inconsistent, and no effect of a prudent diet score on 
longevity was observed. The proposed diet scoring system provides a means for 
evaluating the effects of the individual's food choice behavior on subsequent 
health and longevity.