Dietary patterns and risk of elevated C-reactive protein concentrations 12 years later

Inflammation mediates several chronic diseases. Micronutrients can act on inflammation, either through modulating cytokine production or by scavenging by-products of activated white cells. Identifying dietary patterns (DP) reflecting these mechanisms and relating them to inflammation is of interest. The objective of the study was to identify DP specifically associated with intakes of nutrients potentially involved in inflammatory processes in a middle-aged population and investigate long-term associations between these DP and C-reactive protein (CRP) status assessed several years later. Subjects included in the Supplementation in Vitamins and Mineral Antioxidants 2 cohort study, having available data on dietary assessment carried out in 1994-5 and CRP measurement in 2007-9, were included in the analysis. DP were extracted with reduced rank regression (RRR), using antioxidant micronutrients and PUFA as response variables. Associations between CRP measurements >3 mg/l and extracted DP were then examined with logistic regression models providing OR and 95% CI. A total of 2031 subjects (53.2% women, mean follow-up duration: 12.5 years) were included in the analyses. Of the four extracted DP, a DP with high loading values of vegetables and vegetable oils, leading to high intakes of antioxidant micronutrients and essential fatty acids, was significantly and negatively associated with risk of elevated CRP (OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.78, 0.98). Conversely, a DP reflecting a high n-6:n-3 fatty acid intake ratio was positively and significantly associated with elevated CRP (adjusted OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.00, 1.32). DP extracted with RRR provide support for further exploration of relationships between dietary behaviour and inflammation.