Associations between dietary patterns and flow cytometry-measured biomarkers of inflammation and cellular activation in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Carotid Artery MRI Study

BackgroundSpecific foods and overall dietary patterns are associated with soluble biomarkers of systemic inflammation and endothelial activation. However, no large epidemiological studies have evaluated relationships between such dietary factors and cell-specific markers of activation and inflammation as measured by flow cytometry.MethodsCell aggregates and multiple platelet and leukocyte markers were quantified by flow cytometry in fresh whole blood from 1101 white adults participating in the Carotid Artery MRI Study, a subset of the larger Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Two dietary patterns (“Healthy” and “Western”) were empirically derived via principal components analysis using data collected by food frequency questionnaire. Cross-sectional associations between dietary patterns and flow cytometry-measured biomarkers were evaluated, adjusting for demographics and lifestyle factors, including medications use.ResultsAfter multivariable adjustment, monocyte lipopolysaccharide receptor (CD14), monocyte toll-like receptor-2, and platelet glycoprotein IIb (CD41) showed inverse associations with the Healthy dietary pattern (p = 0.01, 0.04, and 0.01, respectively). In contrast, the Western dietary pattern was positively associated with CD41 and platelet–granulocyte aggregates (p = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively). Independent of other dietary factors, alcohol consumption was inversely associated with levels of pan-leukocyte marker (CD45), P-selectin (CD62P) on PLA1 and on PLA2 platelets, and platelet–monocyte, platelet–granulocyte, and platelet–lymphocyte aggregates.ConclusionDietary patterns and alcohol intake were each cross-sectionally associated with select markers of cellular activation and inflammation measured by flow cytometry. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that holistic measures of dietary intake are associated with inflammation.