Abstract
This study aimed to examine the association of dietary vitamin intakes with plasma pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in Korean heart failure patients. Stable outpatients with heart failure were recruited and finally 91 patients were included. Dietary intakes were estimated by a developed semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The simultaneous measurement of 17 cytokines was performed along with analysis of plasma C-reactive protein. Plasma C-reactive protein levels significantly correlated with dietary intakes of vitamin C (r = -0.30, p<0.005), β-carotene (r = -0.23, p<0.05), and folate (r = -0.31, p<0.005). However, these associations were no longer significant after adjusting for traditional risk factors for heart failure. On the other hand, plasma levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 significantly correlated with dietary folate intake (r = -0.31, p<0.001), and plasma interleukin-8 levels significantly correlated with dietary intakes of vitamin C (r = -0.38, p<0.001), β-carotene (r = -0.42, p<0.001), and folate (r = -0.38, p<0.001) after the adjustment. Dietary folate intake was found as a primary influencing factor on plasma levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (p<0.005, R(2) = 0.20) and interleukin-8 (p<0.001, R(2) = 0.32) through a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Dietary folate intake was significantly associated with plasma levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin-8 which indicates dietary folate may have a potentially beneficial role in the prevention and treatment of heart failure.