Prospective associations between dietary patterns and high sensitivity C-reactive protein in European children: the IDEFICS study

Purpose: This prospective study explores high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in relation to dietary patterns at two time points in European children. Methods: Out of the baseline sample of the IDEFICS study (n = 16,228), 4020 children, aged 2â 9 years at baseline, with available hs-CRP levels and valid data from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline (T0) and 2 years later (T1) were included. K-means clustering algorithm based on the similarities between relative food consumption frequencies of the FFQ was applied. hs-CRP was dichotomized according to sex-specific cutoff points. Multilevel logistic regression was performed to assess the relationship between dietary patterns and hs-CRP adjusting for covariates. Results: Three consistent dietary patterns were found at T0 and T1: â animal protein and refined carbohydrateâ , â sweet and processedâ and â healthyâ . Children allocated to the â proteinâ and â sweet and processedâ clusters at both time points had significantly higher odds of being in the highest category of hs-CRP (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.03â 2.09 for â animal protein and refined carbohydrateâ and OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.08â 1.92 for â sweet and processedâ ) compared to the â healthyâ cluster. The odds remained significantly higher for the â sweet and processedâ pattern (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.05â 1.84) when covariates were included. Conclusions: A dietary pattern characterized by frequent consumption of sugar and processed products and infrequent consumption of vegetables and fruits over time was independently related with inflammation in European children. Efforts to improve the quality of the diet in childhood may prevent future diseases related with chronic inflammation.