Mediterranean diet and All-cause mortality: A cohort of Italian men
Maurizio Trevisan Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases June 8, 2020
Highlights
• We believe that the best way to study the relationship between diet and health is ain an homogenous population characterized by a varied intake. In this regard Italy represent an ideal place for nutritional epidemiology because the diet of Italians varies significantly through the national territory: with the southern regions being traditionally characterized by the typical Mediterranean diet (olive oil as the main source of fat, vegetables, fish, legumes) and the northern regions being characterized by a more “continental” northern European (butter as an important source of fat, dairy products and meats).
• Or findings confirm the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet, and expand the current knowledge by pointing out that the source of the monounsaturated (MUFA) fats in the diet may be relevant as we find an inverse association with mortality only for MUFA of vegetable origin. In addition our study confirm the benefits of vegetable protein and the deleterious effect of animal, saturated fats and dietary cholestol.
The present study analyzes the relation between diet and all-cause mortality in a cohort of Italian men residing in different regions of Italy.
The cohort was established using the members of the Associazione Nazionale Alpini, a voluntary organization that enlists individuals who have served in the Alpine troup; a mountain warfare infantry corps of the Italian Army.
For the purpose of these analyses a total of 5049 participants were followed for an average of seven years. At baseline information was collected regarding age, education, life style habits, with special emphasis on diet (with the use of a validated dietary questionnaire), smoking and alcohol use. A total of 190 deaths were ascertained. In multivariate analyses the consumption of a Mediterranean type diet was inversely associated with mortality. Additional findings of relevance include: an inverse association between mortality and intake of vegetable fats and proteins, monounsaturated (MUFA) fats of vegetable origins, starch and folic acid.
Positive association were evident between mortality and intake of animal fats, MUFA of animal origins and sugar.
This study, focusing on a homogenous cohort characterized by a varied intake and high intake of monounsaturated fats, confirms the inverse association between a Mediterranean type diet and mortality and points out that the nature of the MUFA may be relevant for their effects on health. In addition, the study confirms that fats of animal origins and dietary sugar are associated with an overall deleterious effect on mortality.