Mediterranean diet and mortality in Switzerland: an alpine paradox?

PURPOSE: Reports on the protective effect of a Mediterranean diet on mortality usually refer to populations from Mediterranean countries, leaving uncertain whether really diet is the fundamental cause. Our aim was to examine the effect of a Mediterranean diet on mortality in Switzerland, a country combining cultural influences from Mediterranean and Central European countries within a common national health and statistical registry. METHODS: In this prospective investigation, we included 17,861 men and women aged ≥16 years who participated 1977-1993 in health studies and were followed up for survival until 2008 by anonymous record linkage with the Swiss National Cohort. A 9-point score Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) was used to assess adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Mortality hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by using Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, survey wave, marital status, smoking, body mass index, language region and nationality. RESULTS: In all language regions, MDS was inversely associated with mortality. Consumption of dairy products was also consistently associated with lower mortality. When categorizing dairy food consumption as beneficial instead of harmful, this association between MDS and mortality increased in strength and was partly statistically significant. For all causes of death combined (HR for a one-point increase in MDS 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.98), in men (0.94, 0.92-0.97), in women (0.98, 0.95-1.02) for cardiovascular diseases (CVD, 0.96, 0.92-0.99; 0.95, 0.90-1.00; 0.98, 0.92-1.04) and for cancer (0.95, 0.92-0.99; 0.92, 0.88-0.97; 0.98, 0.93-1.04). CONCLUSIONS: Stronger adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with lower all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality, largely independently of cultural background. These associations were primary due to the effect in men. Our finding of a beneficial rather than a deleterious impact of dairy products consumption prompts at considering culturally adapted Mediterranean diet recommendations. However, results should be interpreted with caution since only a crude 1-day dietary estimate was available to assess individuals' habitual dietary intake.

Dynamin-like protein 1 at the Golgi complex: a novel component of the sorting/targeting machinery en route to the plasma membrane.

The final step in the liberation of secretory vesicles from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) involves the mechanical action of the large GTPase dynamin as well as conserved dynamin-independent fission mechanisms, e.g. mediated by Brefeldin A-dependent ADP-ribosylated substrate (BARS). Another member of the dynamin family is the mammalian dynamin-like protein 1 (DLP1/Drp1) that is known to constrict and tubulate membranes, and to divide mitochondria and peroxisomes. Here, we examined a potential role for DLP1 at the Golgi complex. DLP1 localized to the Golgi complex in some but not all cell lines tested, thus explaining controversial reports on its cellular distribution. After silencing of DLP1, an accumulation of the apical reporter protein YFP-GL-GPI, but not the basolateral reporter VSVG-SP-GFP at the Golgi complex was observed. A reduction in the transport of YFP-GL-GPI to the plasma membrane was confirmed by surface immunoprecipitation and TGN-exit assays. In contrast, YFP-GL-GPI trafficking was not disturbed in cells silenced for BARS, which is involved in basolateral sorting and trafficking of VSVG-SP-GFP in COS-7 cells. Our data indicate a new role for DLP1 at the Golgi complex and thus a role for DLP1 as a novel component of the apical sorting machinery at the TGN is discussed.