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Healthy Eating Index and C-reactive protein concentration: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1988–1994

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 59, pages 278–283 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether diet quality is associated with C-reactive protein concentration.

Design: Cross-sectional study using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994).

Setting: Representative sample of the US population.

Subjects: A total of 13 811 men and women aged ≥20 y.

Interventions: We examined the cross-sectional associations between the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a measure of diet quality according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and serum C-reactive protein concentration. Dietary information was assessed using a 24-h recall.

Results: After adjustment for age, sex, race or ethnicity, education, smoking status, cotinine concentration, body mass index, waist-hip-ratio, aspirin use, alcohol use, physical activity level, and energy intake, HEI score was inversely associated with an elevated C-reactive protein concentration in logistic regression analysis (odds ratio per 10 unit change: 0.92; 95th confidence interval (CI): 0.86–0.99). Among the components, only the score for grain consumption was inversely associated with an elevated C-reactive protein concentration. Compared with participants in the lowest quintile of number of servings of grain consumption, the adjusted odds ratios of having an elevated C-reactive protein concentration for participants in the second, third, fourth, and fifth quintiles were 0.87 (95th CI: 0.67, 1.12), 0.85 (95th CI: 0.69, 1.06), 0.79 (95th CI: 0.65, 0.96), and 0.68 (95th CI: 0.52, 0.88), respectively.

Conclusions: Grain consumption may reduce inflammation. Our findings require confirmation.

Sponsorship: None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    E S Ford & A H Mokdad

  2. Division of Preventive Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    S Liu

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    S Liu

Authors
  1. E S Ford
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  2. A H Mokdad
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  3. S Liu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E S Ford.

Additional information

Guarantor: E Ford.

Contributors: ESF conceived of the topic of the paper, conducted the analyses, and wrote the paper. AHM and SL participated in the planning of the analyses. AHM and SL reviewed the paper for critical content.

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Ford, E., Mokdad, A. & Liu, S. Healthy Eating Index and C-reactive protein concentration: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1988–1994. Eur J Clin Nutr 59, 278–283 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602070

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