Organic Food Consumption Is Associated with Inflammatory Biomarkers Among Older Adults in the USA.

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To explore the association between organic food consumption and inflammatory biomarkers, c-reactive protein (CRP) and cystatin C (CysC). Methods This analysis uses data from the nationally representative, longitudinal panel study of Americans over 50, the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The mean age of the analytic sample (n = 3623) was 64.3 (SE 0.3) years old with just over half (54.3%) being female. Dietary data was collected in 2013 from a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) as well as questions on organic food consumption in the past year. Biomarkers CRP and CysC were collected in blood serum or plasma in 2016. The Alternative Mediterranean diet score (A-MedDiet) was created using the FFQ to assess the quality of study participants' overall diet. Crude and adjusted linear regression models were constructed to assess the association between consumption of organic foods and log-transformed CRP and CysC, accounting for the complex sample design. Results Log CRP and log CysC were both inversely associated with consuming organic food after adjusting for potential confounders (CRP: β = −0.082; P-value = 0.0284; CysC: β = −0.042; P-value < 0.0001). Additional adjustments for the A-MedDiet attenuated the results. Log CysC remained statistically significant [β = −0.028; P-value < 0.0064] with consumption of organic animal sourced foods driving the association: milk [β = −0.034; P-value = 0.0098], eggs [β = −0.025; P-value = 0.0494], and meat [β = −0.032; P-value = 0.0061]. Conclusions These findings support the hypothesis that organic food consumption is inversely associated with biomarkers of inflammation CRP and CysC. The results suggest that organic food may be a potential protective factor in chronic disease, particularly in regard to consumption of animal-sourced foods. Funding Sources HRS is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, and is conducted by the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.