An Isocaloric Nordic Diet Modulates and Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome-A SYSDIET Sub-Study.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadA healthy dietary pattern is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and reduced inflammation. To explore this at the molecular level, we investigated the effect of a Nordic diet (ND) on changes in the gene expression profiles of inflammatory and lipid-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of individuals with MetS. We hypothesized that the intake of an ND compared to a control diet (CD) would alter the expression of inflammatory genes and genes involved in lipid metabolism. The individuals with MetS underwent an 18/24-week randomized intervention to compare a ND with a CD. Eighty-eight participants (66% women) were included in this sub-study of the larger SYSDIET study. Fasting PBMCs were collected before and after the intervention and changes in gene expression levels were measured using TaqMan Array Micro Fluidic Cards. Forty-eight pre-determined inflammatory and lipid related gene transcripts were analyzed. The expression level of the gene tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily member 1A (TNFRSF1A) was down-regulated (p = 0.004), whereas the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) subunit, RELAproto-oncogene, was up-regulated (p = 0.016) in the ND group compared to the CD group. In conclusion, intake of an ND in individuals with the MetS may affect immune function.NordForsk Nordic Centre of Excellence in Food, Nutrition and Health University of Oslo (Norway) Throne Holst Foundation (Norway) Academy of Finland Swedish Research Council Svenska Diabetesforbundet SRP Diabetes Finnish Diabetes Research Foundation Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research Sigrid Juselius Foundation Kuopio University Hospital (Finland) Druvan Foundation Skane University Hospital Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation Diabetesfonden Foundation Cerealia (Sweden) Agricultural Productivity Fund University of Iceland (Iceland