Association between circulating ascorbic acid, [alpha]-tocopherol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and plasma cytokine concentrations in young adults: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: Nutrition & metabolism Vol. 9
• Main Authors: García-Bailo, Bibiana, Roke, Kaitlin, Mutch, David M, El-Sohemy, Ahmed, Badawi, Alaa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central Ltd 16-11-2012; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Alpha tocopherol; Analysis; Antioxidants; Biological response modifiers; Blood banks; Chronic diseases; Contraceptives; Cytokines; Development and progression; Exercise; Inflammation; Interferon; Interleukins; Measurement; Plasma; Platelet-derived growth factor; Proteins; Studies; T cells; Teenagers; Tocopherols; Type 2 diabetes; Vitamin C; Womens health; Youth
• ISSN: 1743-7075; 1743-7075
• DOI: 10.1186/1743-7075-9-102

Inflammation and oxidative stress are associated with the development of numerous chronic diseases. Circulating ascorbic acid, [alpha]-tocopherol, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) may help reduce concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These micronutrients may act synergistically, and they may have different anti-inflammatory effects, but previous studies have assessed the link between each of these micronutrients and inflammation in isolation without controlling for the other micronutrients. Our objective was to examine the association between circulating concentrations of ascorbic acid, [alpha]-tocopherol, and 25(OH) D and a panel of pro-inflammatory cytokines in an ethnically diverse population of young adults. We observed weak micronutrient-cytokine correlations, moderate correlations between certain cytokines, and strong correlations between specific cytokines, particularly interleukin 1- receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), interferon-[gamma] (IFN-[gamma]), and platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-bb). After full covariate adjustment, circulating [alpha]-tocopherol was inversely associated with IFN-[gamma] and regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES). We observed an unexpected positive association between ascorbic acid and IFN-[gamma]. 25(OH)D was not associated with altered concentrations of any inflammatory biomarkers. These findings suggest that [alpha]-tocopherol, but not ascorbic acid or 25(OH)D, is inversely associated with inflammation in healthy young adults.