title: Alcohol and red wine consumption, but not fruit, vegetables, fish or dairy products, are associated with less endothelial dysfunction and less low-grade inflammation: the Hoorn Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Endothelial dysfunction and low-grade inflammation are key phenomena in the pathobiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Their dietary modification might explain the observed reduction in CVD that has been associated with a healthy diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish, low in dairy products and with moderate alcohol and red wine consumption. We investigated the associations between the above food groups and endothelial dysfunction and low-grade inflammation in a population-based cohort of Dutch elderly individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diet was measured by food frequency questionnaire (n = 801; women = 399; age 68.5 ± 7.2 years). Endothelial dysfunction was determined (1) by combining von Willebrand factor, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, endothelial selectin and thrombomodulin, using Z-scores, into a biomarker score and (2) by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), and low-grade inflammation by combining C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, interleukin 6, interleukin 8, tumour necrosis factor α and sICAM-1 into a biomarker score, with smaller FMD and higher scores representing more dysfunction and inflammation, respectively. We used linear regression analyses to adjust associations for sex, age, energy, glucose metabolism, body mass index, smoking, prior CVD, educational level, physical activity and each of the other food groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Moderate [β (95% CI) -0.13 (-0.33; 0.07)] and high [-0.22 (-0.45; -0.003)] alcohol consumption, and red wine [-0.16 (-0.30; -0.01)] consumption, but none of the other food groups, were associated with a lower endothelial dysfunction biomarker score and a greater FMD. The associations for FMD were, however, not statistically significant. Only red wine consumption was associated with a lower low-grade inflammation biomarker score [-0.18 (-0.33; -0.04)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol and red wine consumption may favourably influence processes involved in atherothrombosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre + (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands.|School of Nutrition, and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Top Institute Food and Nutrition (TIFN), Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B C T
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1621-7848
authors.initials: BCT
authors.lastname: van Bussel
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre + (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Top Institute Food and Nutrition (TIFN), Wageningen, The Netherlands.|Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R M A
authors.initials: RMA
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre + (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Top Institute Food and Nutrition (TIFN), Wageningen, The Netherlands.|Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Schalkwijk
authors.affiliation: The EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research (EMGO), Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre (VUMC), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of General Practice, VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nijpels
authors.affiliation: Top Institute Food and Nutrition (TIFN), Wageningen, The Netherlands.|Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E J M
authors.initials: EJM
authors.lastname: Feskens
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre + (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands. cda.stehouwer@mumc.nl.|School of Nutrition, and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands. cda.stehouwer@mumc.nl.|Top Institute Food and Nutrition (TIFN), Wageningen, The Netherlands. cda.stehouwer@mumc.nl.|Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands. cda.stehouwer@mumc.nl.|Department of Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Prof. Debyelaan 25, Maastricht, HX, 6229, The Netherlands. cda.stehouwer@mumc.nl.
authors.forename: C D A
authors.initials: CDA
authors.lastname: Stehouwer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D003611:Dairy Products; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; D004032:Diet; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014675:Vegetables; D014920:Wine
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Diet; Elderly; Endothelial dysfunction; Inflammation; Red wine