CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head or neck were 93% less likely to die of any cause during the first three years after diagnosis if they ate a healthy diet high in nutrients found to deter chronic disease, researchers found in a recent study.

The eating habits of the patients with the best survival rates aligned with the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010, a measure of dietary quality that rates foods based on their disease-fighting properties. The plan is associated with lower risk of chronic diseases, said first author Christian A. Maino Vieytes, a predoctoral fellow in nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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