Association between Dairy Consumption and Circulating Levels of Inflammatory Markers among Women

Although recent studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between dairy consumption and metabolic abnormalities, limited data are available evaluating the association between dairy consumption and circulating levels of inflammatory markers. This study was undertaken to assess the association between consumption of high-fat and low-fat dairy products and circulating levels of inflammatory markers among Tehrani women aged 40-60 years. In a cross-sectional study of 486 apparently healthy women aged 40-60 years, we assessed usual dietary intakes by means of a food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were made and fasting blood samples were taken for measuring inflammatory markers. The reported mean daily intake of low-fat and high-fat dairy consumption were 85±23 and 101±29 g/d, respectively. After control for age, body mass index, waist circumference and other potential confounders, low-fat dairy consumption was inversely associated with CRP, IL-6 and sVCAM-1; with further adjustment for dietary intakes, the associations remained significant just for sVCAM-1. High-fat dairy intake was positively associated with log-transformed values of SAA and sVCAM-1, either before or after adjustment for all potential confounding variables. This study indicates an independent relationship between dairy consumption and some markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Further studies required to identify responsible components of dairy products and related mechanisms of action.