Abstract
Elevated inflammatory markers, such as high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), have been associated with the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related diseases. However, limited studies have evaluated the potential association between dietary consumption and hs-CRP levels in a large, nationally representative sample, and fewer have investigated their role in ethnic and racial minority military populations. The goal of this study is to explore the relationship between dietary intake, health behaviors, and hs-CRP in individuals with prior military status and whether these associations differ by race/ethnicity. A complex, multistage, probability sample design was used from the National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) 2015–2018 waves. Our results indicate that previously deployed military service members had a higher prevalence of clinically elevated hs-CRP levels than civilians. Differences in hs-CRP among deployed veterans and civilians remained even after multivariable adjustment. Individuals classified as overweight and obese demonstrated clinically elevated hs-CRP levels compared with those with a normal body mass index (BMI). Dietary factors did not attenuate the association between changes in hs-CRP levels and veteran status. These findings suggest the need for further investigation into how military-specific stressors contribute to unfavorable health outcomes for the military population.
Highlights
In the US, six in ten adults are living with at least one chronic condition [1]
The National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) is a research program managed by the National Center for Health and Statistics (NCHS)
We tested the interaction between military service and race/ethnicity and found that the military service–high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)
Summary
In the US, six in ten adults are living with at least one chronic condition [1]. U.S. military service members are not impervious to health conditions found in the general population [2]. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality among military veterans [3]. Even though there has been an increase in US casualty survival rates from combat, cardiac disease (primary/secondary) was the most common diagnosis and primary noninjury cause for critical care transport from deployed settings [4,5]. CVD afflicts military service personnel more than any other chronic disease [6,7,8]. The prevalence of hypertension and tobacco use among service members were
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