# Dietary pattern scores (Mediterranean, HEI, AHEI, DASH, WCRF/AICR)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/dietary-pattern-scores/  
OnCo record `dietary-pattern-scores` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Scores that grade a whole diet against a healthy pattern instead of counting single foods. They predict cancer risk and survival better than any individual nutrient.

## Summary

The Mediterranean diet score, Healthy Eating Index, Alternative Healthy Eating Index, DASH and the WCRF/AICR recommendation adherence score each combine 8-15 components. High versus low adherence is associated with 10-25% lower total cancer incidence and mortality in cohorts, most consistently for colorectal cancer. Pattern scores reduce but do not eliminate confounding; they are also the practical basis for dietary counselling because people eat meals, not nutrients.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Also known as: Diet quality index; Healthy Eating Index; MedDiet score

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet
- World Cancer Research Fund: diet, activity and cancer (Third Expert Report): https://www.wcrf.org/diet-activity-and-cancer/

## Connected records

- technologies: [Coffee and tea intake](https://onco.cc/technologies/coffee-intake-cancer/), [Mediterranean and plant-forward dietary patterns](https://onco.cc/technologies/mediterranean-plant-forward-diet/), [Red and processed meat reduction](https://onco.cc/technologies/red-processed-meat-reduction/), [Soy foods and breast cancer](https://onco.cc/technologies/soy-breast-cancer/)
- terms: [Energy balance](https://onco.cc/terms/energy-balance/), [Ultra-processed food (NOVA group 4)](https://onco.cc/terms/ultra-processed-food/)
- bottlenecks: [Prevention we already have is not deployed](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-prevention-adoption/)
- trials: [WHEL (Women's Healthy Eating and Living)](https://onco.cc/trials/whel/)
- ideas: [Capture diet, fibre and antibiotic exposure in every immunotherapy pivotal trial](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-nl-diet-covariates-io-trials/)
- roadmaps: [Diet, exercise and lifestyle roadmap: causes established → interventions that disappointed → exercise proven as treatment](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/nutrition-lifestyle-roadmap/)

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