B4058 - The associations between dietary pattern and immune response the mediating roles of metabolic syndrome - 03/05/2022

B number: 
B4058
Principal applicant name: 
Ruifang LI | Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands)
Co-applicants: 
Dr. Ruifang Li, Dr. Dennis Mook-Kanamori
Title of project: 
The associations between dietary pattern and immune response: the mediating roles of metabolic syndrome
Proposal summary: 

A healthy, balanced diet is important for keeping metabolic health and supporting immune system. Obesity is associated with a wide range of metabolic syndromes, including dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and fatty liver. Hyperglycemia and lipid accumulation may provoke lipid oxidation and further lead to an overproduction of cytokines, hyperactivation of complement system and activation of coagulation system, which all serve as immunological triggers to severe infection of COVID-19 as well as other infectious diseases. In the current proposed project, we will explore all the potential associations between dietary patterns and immune response, as well as potential metabolic-related mediators to explain the observed associations between diet and immune response through mediation analysis in several population-based cohort studies.

Impact of research: 
This research activity will be the most extensive research to triangulate evidence from four independent cohort studies with diverse ethnicity backgrounds, dietary patterns and socioeconomic status, to disentangle casual pathways, which will provide insights into further dietary intervention studies to boost immune function and alleviate disease risks.
Date proposal received: 
Monday, 25 April, 2022
Date proposal approved: 
Monday, 25 April, 2022
Keywords: 
Epidemiology, Diabetes, Hypertension, Infection, Obesity, Metabolomics, NMR, Proteomics, Statistical methods, Biomarkers - e.g. cotinine, fatty acids, haemoglobin, etc., BMI, Immunity, Liver function, Metabolic - metabolism, Nutrition - breast feeding, diet