Association of high sensitivity C-reactive protein with diet composition in Mexican school children

The high-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) is a cardiovascular risk marker. In healthy Mexican children, there islittle evidence that shows any relationship between serum levels of this marker with diet. The objective of this studywas to associate serum levels of hs-CRP with the diet composition in Mexican school children. The cross-sectional study included 300 seemingly healthy children of 10 to 12 years of age, 53.7% were girls and 46.3% boys.hs-CRP quantification was determined by nephelometry. The diet was quantified with a validated food frequency questionnaire. A descriptive statistical analysis, correlation and multivariate regression models were performed by using the SPSS v18 statistical software. The median of the hs-CRP was 0.3 mg / L (range: 0.3 to 6.8 mg / L). A significant direct correlation was found between serum hs-CRP with protein intake (rho=0.126, p=0.029), total fatty acids (rho = 0.128, p = 0.027) and saturated fatty acids (rho = 0.159, p = 0.006). hs-CRP was associated with the intake of protein (β = 0.203, p = 0.037) by multiple regression analysis, and inversely with whole grains (β = -0.175, p = 0,002). No significant association was found with the rest of the other variables. The serum concentration of hs-CRP was directly associated with the consumption of protein, total and saturated fatty acids and was indirectly proportional with the consumption of whole grains.