Association of Vegetable and Animal Flesh Intake with Inflammation in Pregnant Women from India.

Su Yadana,Amita Gupta,Rupak Shivakoti,Pavan Kumar,Vandana Kulkarni,Bruno B Andrade,Jyoti S Mathad,Sameera A Talegawkar,Subash Babu,Mariana Araujo-Pereira,Prasad Deshpande,Mallika Alexander,Laura E Caulfield,Shilpa Naik,Ramesh Bhosale,Cheng-Shiun Leu,Kripa Rajagopalan

doi:10.3390/nu12123767

Abstract

In pregnant women, studies are lacking on the relationship of vegetable and animal flesh (poultry, red meat and seafood) intake with inflammation, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a cohort study of pregnant women receiving antenatal care at BJ Medical College in Pune, India. The dietary intake of pregnant women was queried in the third trimester using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Twelve inflammatory markers were measured in plasma samples using immunoassays. Only 12% of the study population were vegetarians, although animal flesh intake levels were lower compared to Western populations. In multivariable models, higher intakes of total vegetables were associated with lower levels of the T-helper (Th) 17 cytokine interleukin (IL)-17a (p = 0.03) and the monocyte/macrophage activation marker soluble CD163 (sCD163) (p = 0.02). Additionally, higher intakes of poultry were negatively associated with intestinal fatty-acid binding protein (I-FABP) levels (p = 0.01), a marker of intestinal barrier dysfunction and Th2 cytokine IL-13 (p = 0.03), and higher seafood was associated with lower IL-13 (p = 0.005). Our data from pregnant women in India suggest that a higher quality diet emphasizing vegetables and with some animal flesh is associated with lower inflammation. Future studies should confirm these findings and test if modulating vegetables and animal flesh intake could impact specific aspects of immunity and perinatal health.

Highlights

The relationship between high inflammation and adverse health outcomes is well-documented [1,2].Data from the past few decades show that unresolved inflammation is central to many unfavorable disease outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and arthritis [1,2]
We showed that higher intakes of vegetables, and dry vegetables, were associated with lower concentrations of IL-17, a Th17 cytokine
Our result show that higher intakes of vegetables, both green and dry vegetables, were inversely associated with soluble CD163 (sCD163), a marker of monocyte/macrophage activation. sCD163 plays an important role in pregnancy, as higher concentrations of sCD163 and monocyte activation in general have been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and preterm birth [16,17,43,44]

Summary

Introduction

The relationship between high inflammation and adverse health outcomes is well-documented [1,2].Data from the past few decades show that unresolved inflammation is central to many unfavorable disease outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and arthritis [1,2]. The relationship between high inflammation and adverse health outcomes is well-documented [1,2]. Inflammation during pregnancy is a known risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes such as miscarriage and preterm birth [3,4,5,6]. The balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses during pregnancy is a critical factor in birth and neonatal outcomes, where the immune system needs to respond to pathogens without harming the fetus [7]. There are differences in inflammation by gestational age, an excess pro-inflammatory immune response in mid- to late-pregnancy has been associated with preterm birth (PTB) [3,4,5,6]. Studying maternal factors during pregnancy, such as diet, that can impact inflammation is an area of active research and might help identify modifiable factors that can improve perinatal health

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