Jain Mahek, Celis-Morales Carlos, Ozanne Susan E, Burden Sorrel, Gray Stuart R, Morrison Douglas J
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), University of Glasgow, Glasgow G75 0QF, UK.
Human Performance Lab, Education, Physical Activity and Health Research Unit, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca 34809112, Chile.
Nutrients. 2025 Apr 26;17(9):1454. doi: 10.3390/nu17091454.
Chronic inflammation is linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other non-communicable diseases. Dietary factors like fibre and protein may affect inflammation, but limited evidence exists exploring how they interact. This study investigated associations between dietary fibre, protein sources, and the inflammatory marker -reactive protein (CRP) in older adults.
This cross-sectional analysis included 128,612 UK Biobank participants aged 60+ years with CRP measurements and dietary data from multiple 24 h recalls. Fibre intake was reported as total fibre (g/day). Protein intake included total, animal, and vegetable protein (g/day). Robust regression analysis examined associations between quintiles of fibre, protein, and CRP, adjusted for demographics, lifestyle factors, and multimorbidity. Analyses were stratified by health status (with and without multimorbidity).
Higher fibre and vegetable protein intakes were inversely associated with CRP, while higher animal and total protein were positively associated with CRP in people with no multimorbidity. Specifically, participants in the highest quartile of dietary fibre had CRP levels that were 0.42 mg/L lower compared with the lowest quartiles. In contrast, those with the highest total protein and animal protein intakes had CRP levels that were 0.24 mg/L and 0.40 mg/L higher, respectively. In people with multimorbidity, fibre exhibited an inverted U-shaped association with the strongest association in participants in the highest quintile of intake. Vegetable protein had an inverse association with CRP. Animal and total protein had strong positive linear associations with CRP. Notably, high animal protein coupled with low dietary fibre intake resulted in CRP levels that were 0.65 mg/L higher compared with low animal protein and high dietary fibre intake.
Higher fibre and vegetable protein intakes were associated with lower inflammation in older adults. In promoting protein intake to maintain muscle mass and function, future studies should investigate replacing animal with vegetable protein to concomitantly reduce age-related inflammation.
慢性炎症与心血管疾病、癌症及其他非传染性疾病相关。膳食纤维和蛋白质等饮食因素可能会影响炎症，但关于它们如何相互作用的证据有限。本研究调查了老年人膳食纤维、蛋白质来源与炎症标志物——C反应蛋白（CRP）之间的关联。
这项横断面分析纳入了128,612名年龄在60岁及以上的英国生物银行参与者，他们有CRP测量值以及来自多次24小时饮食回顾的饮食数据。膳食纤维摄入量以总膳食纤维（克/天）报告。蛋白质摄入量包括总蛋白质、动物蛋白和植物蛋白（克/天）。稳健回归分析检验了膳食纤维、蛋白质五分位数与CRP之间的关联，并对人口统计学、生活方式因素和多种疾病进行了调整。分析按健康状况（有和无多种疾病）分层。
在无多种疾病的人群中，较高的膳食纤维和植物蛋白摄入量与CRP呈负相关，而较高的动物蛋白和总蛋白摄入量与CRP呈正相关。具体而言，膳食纤维摄入量最高四分位数的参与者的CRP水平比最低四分位数的参与者低0.42毫克/升。相比之下，总蛋白和动物蛋白摄入量最高的参与者的CRP水平分别高0.24毫克/升和0.40毫克/升。在患有多种疾病的人群中，膳食纤维呈现倒U形关联，摄入量最高五分位数的参与者关联最强。植物蛋白与CRP呈负相关。动物蛋白和总蛋白与CRP呈强正线性关联。值得注意的是，高动物蛋白与低膳食纤维摄入量相结合导致的CRP水平比低动物蛋白和高膳食纤维摄入量高0.65毫克/升。
较高的膳食纤维和植物蛋白摄入量与老年人较低的炎症相关。在促进蛋白质摄入以维持肌肉质量和功能方面，未来的研究应调查用植物蛋白替代动物蛋白以同时减少与年龄相关的炎症。
