Interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein for optimal immunometabolic profiling of the lifestyle-related cardiorenal risk.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to identify optimal inflammatory biomarkers involved in cardiorenal risk in response to major lifestyle factors. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-nine adults aged 35-77 years participated voluntarily from 2017 to 2019 (Córdoba, Argentina) in a cross-sectional study to collect sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle data. Blood biomarkers (different cytokines, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 [MCP-1], and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP]) were measured using standard methods and then evaluated by principal component analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) according to Mediterranean diet adherence, physical activity level, and waist circumference, while cardiorenal risk involved blood diastolic pressure, HDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerols, creatinine, and glycosylated hemoglobin. RESULTS: A principal component included TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha), IL-8 (interleukin-8), IL-6 (interleukin-6), hs-CRP, and MCP-1, with absolute rotated factor loadings >0.10. SEM showed that IL-6 (ß=0.38, 95 % IC=0.08-0.68), hs-CRP (ß=0.33, 95 % IC=0.17-0.48), and TNF-α (ß=0.22, 95 % IC=0.11-0.32) were the mediators that better explained an inflammatory profile positively related to waist circumference (ß=0.77, 95 % IC=0.61-0.94). Moreover, this profile was associated with an increased cardiorenal risk (ß=0.78, 95 % IC=0.61-0.94), which was well-defined by the variable used. CONCLUSIONS: Immune mediators are key elements in profiling the cardiorenal risk associated with lifestyle factors, for which the combination of hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α has emerged as a robust indicator. This work reaffirms the need for biomarker optimization for early diagnosis and risk assessment.

Stress, Dietary Patterns and Cardiovascular Disease: A Mini-Review.

According to the World Health Organization, an unhealthy diet and insufficient physical activity are the leading global risks to health. Dietary behavior is a modifiable factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. Furthermore, the fact that cardiovascular events and stress-related emotional disorders share a common epidemiology may indicate the existence of pathways linking these two diseases (Chauvet-Gelinier and Bonin, 2017). Psychosocial stress can lead to changes in dietary patterns (DP) and under chronic stress conditions, high caloric and hyperpalatable foods are preferred. The interplay between these two factors impacts on several biological pathways: for example, it can prime the hippocampus to produce a potentiated neuroinflammatory response, generating memory deficits; it can also affect gut microbiota composition, ultimately influencing behavior and brain health and creating a predisposition to the development of diseases such as obesity, CVD, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Though both cognition and emotion can be heavily affected by caloric intake, diet composition and stress, the molecular pathways involved remain elusive (Spencer et al., 2017). In this review, we describe the interplay between stress and DP at a molecular level, and how these factors relate to brain health and mental fitness. Finally, we show how these findings could give rise to novel therapeutic targets for chronic diseases.

Una mirada global sobre la influencia de los patrones alimentarios en las enfermedades cardiovasculares / A Global Look at Nutritional Patterns Influencing Cardiovascular Disease

Resumen Antecedentes: las enfermedades cardiovasculares constituyen la primera causa de muerte a nivel global. Si bien alimentos y nutrientes han sido relacionados con la promoción o prevención de estas enfermedades, analizar los componentes dietarios en forma aislada genera resultados parciales y descontextualizados. Objetivo: analizar el concepto y surgimiento del patrón alimentario y la evidencia científica sobre su influencia en enfermedades cardiovasculares. Materiales y métodos: se realizó una búsqueda sistemática de publicaciones en bases de datos electrónicas como Medline, Embase, Lilacs y SciELO. Se incluyeron aquellos artículos que contenían las palabras clave, o una combinación de ellas, durante 2000-2016. Resultados y Conclusiones: independientemente de la región geográfica estudiada, un patrón alimentario saludable, prudente o mediterráneo, rico en frutas, verduras, granos enteros, legumbres y pescado, se asoció a un menor riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares, mientras que un patrón alimentario occidentalizado o de alimentos procesados, abundante en carnes rojas y procesadas, granos refinados, frituras y dulces, se correlacionó positivamente con mayor riesgo de mortalidad por estas enfermedades, infarto agudo de miocardio, accidente cerebrovascular y cardiopatías isquémicas. El análisis de patrón alimentario constituye una herramienta eficaz para formular recomendaciones alimentarias acordes a la cultura alimentaria.

Abstract Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Food and nutrients have been linked to the promotion or prevention of CVD, but analyzing isolated dietary components generates partial results. Objective: To analyze the concept of dietary pattern (DP) as well as the scientific evidence about the relationship between different DP and promotion/protection of cardiovascular diseases. Materials and Methods: A search of the publications listed in the electronic databases Medline, Embase, Lilacs and SciELO, between 2000-2016 was performed. Articles containing keywords or a combination of them were included. Results and Conclusions: Regardless of geographic region, healthy, prudent or Mediterranean DP, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and fish, were associated with a lower risk of CVD. Westernized or processed food DP, characterized by red and processed meats, refined grains, fried foods and sweets were correlated positively with risk of mortality from CVD, acute myocardial infarction, stroke and ischemic heart disease. DP analysis is a tool that can be used for formulating dietary recommendations based on food culture.