title: Plasma Inflammation Markers of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Pathway but Not C-Reactive Protein Are Associated with Processed Meat and Unprocessed Red Meat Consumption in Bavarian Adults.
abstract: High consumption of red and processed meats has been linked to higher chronic disease risk. It has been hypothesized that inflammation markers may mediate part of this association. Most previous studies on the association of red meat intake with circulating inflammation markers used C-reactive protein (CRP) but rarely other markers, and not all differentiated between processed meat and unprocessed red meat.
  
  
  
  We investigated the cross-sectional association of processed meat and unprocessed red meat consumption with plasma concentrations of CRP, interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, soluble TNF receptor (sTNF-R) 1, and sTNF-R2 in German adults.
  
  
  
  Inflammation markers were quantified in the plasma of 553 adults (233 men and 320 women) aged 18-80 y within the cross-sectional Bavarian Food Consumption Survey II. Dietary intake was estimated from three 24-h dietary recalls. The association between red meat consumption and inflammation markers was analyzed with the use of multivariable-adjusted linear regression.
  
  
  
  Processed meat consumption was borderline significantly associated with higher IL-6 [relative difference per 50-g increment: 5% (95% CI: -1%, 10%)] but not with CRP (2%; 95% CI: -6%, 10%), and it was inversely associated with total TNF-α (-3%; 95% CI: -6%, -1%), sTNF-R1 (-3%; 95% CI: -4%, -1%), and sTNF-R2 (-2%; 95% CI: -4%, 0%) concentrations. Unprocessed red meat consumption was not associated with CRP (-5%; 95% CI: -15%, 5%) or IL-6 (-1%; 95% CI: -9%, 7%) but was inversely associated with sTNF-R1 (-3%; 95% CI: -5%, -1%) and sTNF-R2 (-4%; 95% CI: -7%, -2%).
  
  
  
  Our results suggest an inverse association between both processed meat and unprocessed red meat with inflammation markers of the TNF pathway in Bavarian adults but no association with CRP. Further research on the role of TNF pathway markers in chronic inflammation is warranted.
authors: Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Carolina
authors: 0000-0001-7617-6641
authors: C
authors: Schwedhelm
authors: Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Pischon
authors: Division of Chronic Diseases Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Rohrmann
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; and.
authors: Hubertus
authors: H
authors: Himmerich
authors: Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Centre Munich, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: Jakob
authors: J
authors: Linseisen
authors: Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany; katharina.nimptsch@mdc-berlin.de.
authors: Katharina
authors: K
authors: Nimptsch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008461:Meat Products / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069466:Red Meat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: C-reactive protein; IL-6; TNF-α; inflammation; processed meat; soluble TNF receptor; unprocessed red meat