Background: Important changes in lifestyle habits, especially diet, typically occur during the transitional period between high school and college and some of these changes may increase the risk of inflammation. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between lifestyle factors and inflammation in college students. Methods: Students enrolled in a southeastern university participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants completed online questionnaires for assessment of demographics, supplement and dietary intake, sleep quality, and perceived stress. Body composition was measured during a clinic visit via air displacement plethysmography and blood and urine were collected for measurement of C-reactive protein (CRP) and cortisol, respectively. Analysis of variance was used to examine associations between tertiles of CRP levels and lifestyle variables and a linear regression model was fit to investigate whether there were any significant predictors of CRP levels. Results: Analysis included data for 83 participants for whom serum CRP levels and diet intake were available. Approximately 68% of the participants were female; mean age and body mass index (BMI) were 24 years and 23.4 kg/m2, respectively. Alcohol intake was significantly associated with increasing CRP levels ( P = 0.017). No other dietary variables or lifestyle characteristics such as sleep quality, perceived stress, or BMI were associated with tertiles of CRP. The best model to predict CRP levels included urinary cortisol, aerobic exercise duration, alcohol, and vitamin E intake ( adjusted R2=0.27). Conclusion: Alcohol and vitamin E intake were found to be associated with increased CRP levels.

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Few foods are natural sources of vitamin D in the American diet. A Vitamin D Checklist (VDC) containing 11 food groupings that represent the major sources of the vitamin was developed to estimate vitamin D intake adequacy. Undergraduate students (N = 82, 25 males and 57 females) completed a 3-day food record (FR) and analyzed them with the USDA Supertracker nutrition analysis program, which generated their daily average vitamin D intake as a % of their vitamin D RDA (%D-RDA). Subjects also completed a VDC for the same 3-day FR period. FR %D-RDA correlated with higher VDC recall of consuming either milk (P ≤ .001), vitamin D–fortified cereal (P ≤ .001), or American cheese (P = .02). The greater the number of VDC food groupings consumed, the higher the estimated FR %D-RDA. We concluded that the VDC may have applications for use as a tool for a quick assessment of vitamin D intake in patient settings.