High intake of vegetables is linked to lower white blood cell profile and the effect is mediated by the gut microbiome

Abstract

Background Chronic inflammation, which can be modulated by diet, is linked to high white blood cell counts and correlates with higher cardiometabolic risk and risk of more severe infections, as in the case of COVID-19. Methods Here, we assessed the association between white blood cell profile (lymphocytes, basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes and total white blood cells) as markers of chronic inflammation, habitual diet and gut microbiome composition (determined by sequencing of the 16S RNA) in 986 healthy individuals from the PREDICT-1 nutritional intervention study. We then investigated whether the gut microbiome mediates part of the benefits of vegetable intake on lymphocyte counts. Results Higher levels of white blood cells, lymphocytes and basophils were all significantly correlated with lower habitual intake of vegetables, with vegetable intake explaining between 3.59 and 6.58% of variation in white blood cells after adjusting for covariates and multiple testing using false discovery rate (q < 0.1). No such association was seen with fruit intake. A mediation analysis found that 20.00% of the effect of vegetable intake on lymphocyte counts was mediated by one bacterial genus, Collinsella, known to increase with the intake of processed foods and previously associated with fatty liver disease. We further correlated white blood cells to other inflammatory markers including IL6 and GlycA, fasting and post-prandial glucose levels and found a significant relationship between inflammation and diet. Conclusion A habitual diet high in vegetables, but not fruits, is linked to a lower inflammatory profile for white blood cells, and a fifth of the effect is mediated by the genus Collinsella. Trial registration The ClinicalTrials.gov registration identifier is NCT03479866.

Effect of Saengshik Supplementation on the Gut Microbial Composition of Healthy Korean Adults: A Single-Group Pilot Study

“…exacerbated gut inflammation in an animal infection model based on their ability to degrade mucins (51). Furthermore, elevated Collinsella abundance is reportedly positively associated with increased levels of insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides ( 52) and negatively correlated with vegetable intake (53,54). In line with previous studies, the present results suggest that a lower abundance of Collinsella might be mediated by Saengshik consumption.…”

Does chronic inflammation cause acute inflammation to spiral into hyper‐inflammation in a manner modulated by diet and the gut microbiome, in severe Covid‐19?

“…At that point of time, there were only three papers (e-published during April or May, 2020) that mentioned the possibility of a link between diet and Covid-19, in passing. [137][138][139][140] During the 13 months that have passed since, numerous other papers have also noted connections between Covid-19 and diet, nutrition, microbiomes, dysbiosis, immunity, or inflammation, [141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150] including one paper that happened to cite the original preprint on Research Gate. [151] However, none of these earlier, or subsequent, papers explicitly holds chronic inflammation (CHRi) to be the cause of the proposed rapid rise and slow abatement of acute inflammation (ACUi), or the proposed spiralling of ACUi into hyper-inflammation (HYPI), as proposed in this paper.…”

Daily Vegetables Intake and Response to COPD Rehabilitation. The Role of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and DNA Damage

“…In observational studies conducted in teenagers and in middle-aged adults, circulating levels of inflammatory mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin (IL-) 6, and IL-17A were inversely correlated with fruits and vegetable intake. A recent study reported that high vegetable intake, particularly green leafy and cruciferous vegetables, correlated with lower levels of white blood cell counts [ 34 ]. The anti-inflammatory effect of vegetable assumption could be explained considering their content in polyphenol compounds with antioxidant effect, folate, and flavonoids [ 35 ], and through their restoration of water loss and electrolyte balance function [ 36 ].…”