A Western dietary pattern is associated with elevated level of high sensitive C-reactive protein among adolescent girls.

BACKGROUND: Serum high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), is an indicator of low-grade inflammation, and is associated with several non-communicable diseases. The effects of diet on inflammation have not been extensively investigated, particularly among adolescents. We aimed to examine the association between major dietary patterns and elevated serum level of hs-CRP among Iranian adolescent girls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 670 adolescent girls were recruited from several schools in different areas of Mashhad and Sabzevar cities, Iran. The dietary intakes of study participants were collected using a 147-item food frequency questionnaire. To identify major dietary patterns based on the 40 food groups, we used principal component analysis. Serum concentration of hs-CRP was measured using commercial kits and the BT-3000 auto-analyser. To investigate the association between dietary patterns and elevated serum level of hs-CRP, we used logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Three specific dietary patterns were identified: (i) healthy, (ii) traditional and (iii) western dietary patterns. A significant association was found between more adherence to Western dietary pattern and elevated serum level of hs-CRP (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.02-2.42, P-trend = .03); these association remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders. However, there was no significant relationship between healthy and traditional dietary patterns and elevated serum level of hs-CRP. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that there is a significant positive association between more adherence to Western dietary pattern and higher serum levels of hs-CRP among Iranian adolescent girls. Further studies, particularly longitudinal intervention studies may be required to clarify these relationships.

The Effects of Curcumin and Curcumin-Phospholipid Complex on the Serum Pro-oxidant-Antioxidant Balance in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined by a clustering of metabolic and anthropometric abnormalities and is associated by an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We have investigated the effect of curcumin supplementation on the serum pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB) in patients with MetS. This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted over 6 weeks. Subjects (n = 120) were randomly allocated to one of three groups (curcumin, phospholipidated curcumin, and placebo). The curcumin group received 1 g/day of simple curcumin, the phospholipidated curcumin group received 1 g/day of phospholipidated curcumin (containing 200 mg of pure curcumin), and the control group received 1 g/day of placebo. Serum PAB was measured before and after the intervention (at baseline and at 6 weeks). Data analyses were performed using spss software (version 16.0). Serum PAB increased significantly in the curcumin group (p < 0.001), but in the phospholipidated curcumin group, elevation of PAB level was not significant (p = 0.053). The results of our study did not suggest any improvement of PAB following supplementation with curcumin in MetS subjects. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.