Abstract P087: Dietary Flavonoids Intake Reduced the C-Reactive Protein Concentration, Yet Did Not Associate With the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome Among Taiwanese Adults: A Representative National Study

Abstract

Background and Hypothesis: Evidence about the role of various flavonoids in atherosclerosis prevention was still controversial. We investigated the association between dietary flavonoid intakes and the level of C-reactive protein as well as the risk of metabolic syndrome among a national representative sample from the Nutrition and Health Surveys in Taiwan during 2005 and 2008. Methods: A total of 2439 adult participants (51.9% women, 54.3±17.6 years) who provided detailed food frequency questionnaire and clinical as well as biochemical data were recruited. We measured total and six flavonoids, including flavone, flavonol, flavanones, flavan_3_ol, anthocyanidins, and isoflavones from the USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods. C-reactive protein was measured by nephelometry. Definition of metabolic syndrome was followed using the Third Adult Treatment Panel criteria, with a modification of the criteria for Asian population. Results: The mean dietary total flavonoid intake was 142.6±306.0 mg/day (median, 42.9, interquartile range, 11.2-137.2 mg/day). C-reactive protein was inversely related to various dietary intakes, including flavone, flavonol, flavan_3_ol, anthocyanidins, and total flavonoids (coefficients ranging from -0.04 to -0.06, all P <0.05). After adjusted for age and gender, participants among the highest quantile of dietary flavonol intake has a significant lower C-reactive protein concentration (-0.075±0.037 mg/dL), compared with those among the lowest quartile ( P test for trend, 0.07). Participants among the highest total flavonoid intake have a lower C-reactive protein level (-0.096±0.037 mg/dL, P test for trend, 0.046). With regards to the risk of the metabolic syndrome, a higher dietary flavonoid intake was not associated with metabolic syndrome status (adjusted odds ratio, 0.96, 95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.89 for flavonol, P test for trend, 0.57). Conclusions: We demonstrated that dietary flavonoid intakes were inversely associated with the C-reactive protein concentration. Further intervention trials are warranted to elucidate the biological mechanism of protective effect of flavonoids.