INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological studies have shown that dietary behaviour is an 
important aetiological factor in various chronic diseases. We used principal 
component factor analysis to identify dietary patterns and to examine the 
associations of these patterns with health-related variables in a sample of 
elderly (> or =60 years) Italians participating in the European Prospective 
Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).
METHODS AND RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis was applied to the intake of 
food groups as estimated by semi-quantitative food questionnaires. Individual 
participants were assigned factor scores, indicating the extent to which their 
diet conformed to each of the four dietary patterns identified: prudent (cooked 
vegetables, pulses, cabbage, seed oil and fish); pasta & meat (pasta, tomato 
sauce, red meat, processed meat, bread and wine); olive oil & salad (raw 
vegetables, olive oil, soup and chicken); and sweet & dairy (sugar, cakes, ice 
cream, coffee and dairy). Highly educated people had high scores on prudent and 
low scores on pasta & meat. The pasta & meat and prudent patterns were strongly 
positively associated with body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in 
men and women. Hyperlipidaemic men and women consumed more of the prudent and 
olive oil & salad patterns and less of the sweet & dairy pattern than those with 
normal lipids. The olive oil & salad was significantly higher and the pasta & 
meat and sweet & dairy patterns significantly lower in men and women who had 
dieted over the previous year, suggesting awareness of the health consequences 
of these patterns.
CONCLUSIONS: Dietary pattern analysis provides a characterization of recurrent 
dietary behaviour in elderly people, and can be used to provide tangible dietary 
advice to elderly people.