Abstract
The growth hormone (GH) insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis has been linked to insulin metabolism and cancer risk. Experimental evidence indicates that the GH-IGF axis itself can be influenced by dietary flavonoids. As fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is a major source of flavonoid consumption, FV's beneficial health effects may be explained via flavonoids' influence on the GH-IGF axis, but observational evidence is currently rare. We used data from Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study participants to analyse prospective associations between FV, fruit intake and flavonoid intake from FV (FlavFV) with IGF-1 and its binding proteins IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3. Subjects needed to provide a fasting blood sample in adulthood (18-39 years) and at least two 3-d weighed dietary records in early life (0·5-2 years, n 191), mid-childhood (3-7 years, n 265) or adolescence (girls: 9-15 years, boys: 10-16 years, n 261). Additional analyses were conducted among those providing at least three 24-h urine samples in adolescence (n 236) to address the predictor urinary hippuric acid (HA), a biomarker of polyphenol intake. Higher fruit intake in mid-childhood and adolescence was related to higher IGFBP-2 in adulthood (P=0·03 and P=0·045). Comparable trends (P=0·045-0·09) were discernable for FV intake (but not FlavFV) in all three time windows. Similarly, higher adolescent HA excretion tended to be related (P=0·06) to higher adult IGFBP-2 levels. Regarding IGFBP-3, a marginal (P=0·08) positive association was observed with FlavFV in mid-childhood only. None of the investigated dietary factors was related to IGF-1. In conclusion, higher fruit and FV intakes during growth may be relevant for adult IGFBP-2, but probably not for IGFBP-3 or IGF-1.
Highlights
A high fruit and vegetable (FV) intake has been associated with a number of health benefits, including reduced risk for CVD and different types of cancer[1,2]
Total energy intake was more than twice as high in the pubertal sample compared with the early life sample, absolute consumption of FV and flavonoid intake from FV (FlavFV) differed less markedly with age, with 69 % higher FV intake and 83 % higher median FlavFV in adolescence compared with early life
During early life, adjusted linear regression models (Table 2, model B) revealed no associations of FV, fruits or FlavFV with insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 or IGF-1 and its binding protein (IGFBP)-3, but higher intakes of FV in this age group tended to be related to higher IGFBP-2 concentrations in young adulthood (P = 0·07)
Summary
A high fruit and vegetable (FV) intake has been associated with a number of health benefits, including reduced risk for CVD and different types of cancer[1,2]. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether FV intake, fruit intake or dietary flavonoid intake from FV (FlavFV) during three distinct periods of growth (i.e. early life, adiposity rebound in mid-childhood and adolescence) is related to the GH–IGF axis in young adulthood in a general healthy population. To investigate these relationships in depth, exposure assessment was based on both the dietary intake data and the urinary biomarker hippuric acid (HA)
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