(P29-052-23) Associations Between Circulating Levels of Micronutrients and Inflammatory Biomarkers in a National Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: Inflammation is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of cancer and other diseases. Although it is critical to identify modifiable factors that can alleviate inflammation and ensuring pathological conditions, few epidemiological studies have evaluated this question. Therefore, we investigated the associations between the levels of micronutrients and inflammatory biomarkers in a national cross-sectional study.

Methods: Data analyzed were obtained from participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (cycles 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2005-2006, and 2017-2018). Serum levels of vitamin C (n=21,319), 25(OH)D (n=31,820), α-tocopherol (n=15,619), β-carotene (n=28,272), lycopene (n=20,809), folate (n=29,368), iron (n=25,710), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (n=24,836) as well as white blood cell (WBC) count (n=33,264) were measured using appropriate methods. All variables were log-transformed to improve their normality prior to analysis and weighting was applied to account for oversampling, non-response, post stratification adjustment.

Results: There were significant inverse correlations of serum vitamin C, 25(OH)D, β-carotene, lycopene, folate, and iron with serum CRP (r = -0.086 for folate to -0.284 for iron) and WBC count (r = -0.014 for 25(OH)D to -0.187 for β-carotene). After adjustment for age, sex, race, alcohol intake, and cigarette smoking, significant inverse associations were observed between serum vitamin C, 25(OH)D, β-carotene, lycopene, and iron and serum CRP (mg/dL) [p = 0.034 - < 0.0001; e.g., β (95% CI) for vitamin C (µmol/L): -0.24 (-0.30, -0.17)] and between serum vitamin C, β-carotene, and iron and WBC count (1000 cells/µL) [all p < 0.0001; e.g., β (95% CI) for β-carotene (µg/dL): -0.071 (-0.084, -0.058)]. Unexpectedly, there were significant positive associations of serum α-tocopherol and folate with serum CRP and serum 25(OH) D and α-tocopherol with WBC count.

Conclusions: In summary, the present study revealed that higher serum levels of vitamin C, β-carotene, and iron were associated with lower levels of serum inflammatory biomarkers (i.e., CRP and WBC count), whereas opposite results were found for serum α-tocopherol. If confirmed in other studies, our results may offer new avenues for preventing cancer and other diseases induced or promoted by chronic inflammation.

Funding Sources: None