title: Effects of a healthy Nordic diet on gene expression changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to an oral glucose tolerance test in subjects with metabolic syndrome: a SYSDIET sub-study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diet has a great impact on the risk of developing features of metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We evaluated whether a long-term healthy Nordic diet (ND) can modify the expression of inflammation and lipid metabolism-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) during a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in individuals with MetS.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Nordic multicenter randomized dietary study included subjects (n = 213) with MetS, randomized to a ND group or a control diet (CD) group applying an isocaloric study protocol. In this sub-study, we included subjects (n = 89) from three Nordic centers: Kuopio (n = 26), Lund (n = 30), and Oulu (n = 33) with a maximum weight change of ±4 kg, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentration ≤10 mg L(-1), and baseline body mass index <39 kg m(-2). PBMCs were isolated, and the mRNA gene expression analysis was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). We analyzed the mRNA expression changes of 44 genes before and after a 2hOGTT at the beginning and the end of the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The healthy ND significantly down-regulated the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), interleukin 18 (IL18), and thrombospondin receptor (CD36) mRNA transcripts and significantly up-regulated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD) mRNA transcript after the 2hOGTT compared to the CD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A healthy ND is able to modify the gene expression in PBMCs after a 2hOGTT. However, more studies are needed to clarify the biological and clinical relevance of these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1046, Blindern, 0317 Oslo Norway.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leder
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Marjukka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolehmainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1046, Blindern, 0317 Oslo Norway.
authors.forename: Ingunn
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Narverud
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (H7), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dahlman
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Nutrition and Management, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Mari C W
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Myhrstad
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Vanessa D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: de Mello
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paananen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carlberg
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine and Biocenter of Oulu, Medical Research Centre Oulu, Oulu, Finland ; Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Herzig
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Nutrition, Pure and Applied Biochemistry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lieselotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cloetens
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Nutrition, Pure and Applied Biochemistry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Matilda Ulmius
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Storm
authors.affiliation: Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland ; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Janne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hukkanen
authors.affiliation: Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland ; Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Markku J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Savolainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosqvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kjeld
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hermansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sport, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lars O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Dragsted
authors.affiliation: Unit for Nutrition Research, University of Iceland and Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Ingibjörg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gunnarsdottir
authors.affiliation: Unit for Nutrition Research, University of Iceland and Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Thorsdottir
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Risérus
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Nutrition, Pure and Applied Biochemistry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden ; Department of Clinical Nutrition, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Åkesson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Magne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thoresen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (H7), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Kaisa S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Poutanen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland ; Research Unit, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uusitupa
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1046, Blindern, 0317 Oslo Norway ; Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Familial Hypercholesterolemia, Department of Endocrinology, Morbid Obesity and Preventive Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kirsten B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Holven
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1046, Blindern, 0317 Oslo Norway ; Department of Health, Nutrition and Management, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Stine M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ulven
keywords: Metabolic syndrome; Nordic diet; OGTT; PBMCs; mRNA gene expression