Correlation between Dietary Intake and Inflammatory Biomarkers in a Tunisian Obese Group

Aims: This study aims to determine the inflammatory status and evaluate the correlation between dietary intake and inflammatory biomarkers in a Tunisian obese group. Material and Methods: This is an open cross-sectional study that includes 81 individuals divided into two groups: a group of 42 obese patients recruited from the endocrinology department and a control group of 39 non-obese healthy subjects. All participants received a food survey, anthropometric measurements and blood sampling. Pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α), and hs-CRP were measured in patients and controls. Results: Dietary data revealed significant increases in food intake in obese patients compared to controls. The results of the laboratory parameters showed a statistically significant increase in IL-8, TNF-α and blood glucose in obese compared to controls. The analysis of correlations among the parameters studied showed that the plasma level of IL-6 was positively correlated with dietary fat intake (r = 0.70; p －3) and carbohydrate (r = 0.54; p = 0.03) and the dietary intake expressed in calories (r = 0.64; p －3). Conclusion: dietary imbalances in obese were observed and characterized by an excessive intake of calories, fat and carbohydrates. The excessive carbohydrate and fat intake is associated with increased IL-6 and TNF-α plasma levels.