Association of high-fat intake with serum adiponectin, C-reactive protein and tumor necrotic factor-α in Korean adults

The purpose of this study was to investigate levels of blood inflammatory markers in relation to high-fat intake and other dietary factors. The cross-sectional study involved 80 female and male adults. Subjects were divided into two groups: the high-fat group who obtained 25% or more of their total energy consumption from fat and the normal-fat group who consumed less than 25% of their total energy as fat. Serum adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrotic factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were compared to determine their relationship with nutrient intake. Males from the high-fat group had significantly lower levels of serum adiponectin (p<0.05) compared to the normal-fat group. Both males and females from the high-fat group had significantly higher levels of serum CRP (p<0.01) compared to the normal-fat group. In addition, in both males and females there was a negative relationship between the serum adiponectin and energy intake (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between serum CRP and protein intake (p<0.05) and serum CRP and carbohydrate intake (p<0.05) in males, and there was a negative relationship between TNF-alpha and plant protein intake in males (p<0.05) and a positive relationship between TNF-alpha with energy intake in females (p<0.05). Results indicate that high-fat diet is associated with lower serum adiponectin and higher CRP and these inflammatory markers are correlated with energy and macronutrient intakes.