ABSTRACT
Background@#Studies have shown that adequate protein intake (API) in patients with diabetes is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular risk factors. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has emerged as a new screening test to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the association between protein intake and hs-CRP levels in elderly Korean patients with diabetes. @*Methods@#Data were derived from the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2018). Participants included 889 adults aged 65 years or older with diabetes. They were grouped by dietary protein intake per body weight (g/kg BW) into a low protein intake group (LPI, <1.0 g/kg BW) and adequate protein intake group (API, ≥1.0 g/kg BW). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the association between protein intake and hs-CRP levels. @*Results@#The mean hs-CRP level was significantly higher in the LPI group than in the API group (1.3±1.6 mg/L vs. 1.0±1.0 mg/L). In model 1, which was adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and waist circumstance, hs-CRP was decreased by 7.8% (P=0.024) in the API group compared to that in the LPI group. In model 3, which was additionally adjusted for smoking, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and highdensity lipid cholesterol, hs-CRP was decreased by 7.1% in the API group compared to that in the LPI group (P=0.036). @*Conclusion@#There was a significant negative correlation between protein intake and hs-CRP in elderly Korean patients with diabetes. Therefore, this study provides some evidence that adequate protein intake should be recommended to reduce cardiovascular risk in elderly patients with diabetes.