Association of Inflammatory Diets with Inflammatory Biomarkers in Women at High Genetic Risk for Breast Cancer

Chronically elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers may contribute to the development of cancer and diet may be an important factor in the interplay between inflammation and cancer. We examined associations between glycemic load (GL), glycemic index (GI), and adapted dietary inflammatory index (ADII) and markers of inflammation and adipokines in 135 premenopausal women at high genetic risk for breast cancer (NCT00892515). We assessed body mass index (BMI), 3-day food records, and blood biomarkers TNF-α, IL-12, CCL2, IL-10, leptin, and adiponectin. Regression models assessed associations between dietary variables and biomarkers, adjusted for caloric intake and BMI. Participants were on average 34.2 years old with mean BMI of 26.8 kg/m². Significantly higher levels of IL-10 and leptin were observed in participants with higher GI. Leptin and adiponectin were significantly associated with ADII. Leptin remained associated with ADII after adjustment for caloric intake and BMI. There were no associations between inflammatory biomarkers of interest and GL, GI, and ADII, after adjusting for caloric intake and BMI. Elevated leptin levels were observed with higher ADII independent of caloric intake and BMI. The relationship between carbohydrate quality and inflammatory potential of the diet and markers of inflammation may be modulated by leptin.