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Prevention of Non Communicable Diseases

Food Compass Score and its association with inflammatory markers and homocysteine in cardiovascular disease-free adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the ATTICA epidemiological study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 77, pages 998–1004 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Several nutrient profiling systems have been developed to assist in food choices and policy. Food Compass Score (FCS) is a novel holistic food score assessing 54 parameters. The aim was to assess the relation of FCS with inflammatory and lipid markers in cardiovascular disease-free volunteers.

Subjects/Methods

Information from the ATTICA epidemiological study participants, with complete data on lipid, inflammatory markers and dietary intake were studied (n = 1018). C-reactive protein (CRP) and amyloid A were determined by immunonephelometry, fibrinogen by nephelometry, homocysteine by fluorometry, while tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6), adiponectin and leptin were determined by ELISA in fasting blood samples. Dietary intake was assessed through a semi-quantitative validated food frequency questionnaire. Each food was assigned a FCS value from the published values and then individual’s FCS values were calculated.

Results

Mean FCS was 56 (standard deviation: 5.7) and it was similar in men and women. FCS was inversely correlated with age (r = −0.06, p = 0.03). In multiple linear regression models, FCS was inversely associated with CRP (−0.03, 0.01), TNF-a (−0.04, 0.01), amyloid A (−0.10, 0.04) and homocysteine (−0.09, 0.04) (b coefficients, standard errors, all p < 0.05) and was not associated with IL-6, fibrinogen, adiponectin, leptin, or lipids levels (all p > 0.05).

Conclusions

The inverse correlations of the FCS with inflammatory markers suggest that a diet containing foods with high FCS might be protective against inflammation process. Our results support the usefulness of the FCS, but future studies should evaluate its relation to cardiovascular and other inflammation-related chronic diseases.

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Fig. 1: Flow-chart of participants of the ATTICA cohort study included in this analysis.

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Data availability

Data described in the manuscript, code book, and analytic code will be made available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the field investigators of the ‘ATTICA’’ study that examined the participants during baseline: Natassa Katinioti, Spiros Vellas and Dina Massoura (physical examination), Efi Tsetsekou (physical/psychological evaluation), and the technical team: Marina Toutouza (principal investigator in biochemical analysis), Carmen Vassiliadou (genetic analysis), Manolis Kambaxis and Konstantina Palliou (nutritional evaluation), Konstantina Tselika and Sia Poulopoulou (biochemical evaluation) and Maria Toutouza (database management).

Funding

The study is funded by research grants from the Hellenic Cardiological Society and the Hellenic Atherosclerosis Society.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece

    Paraskevi Detopoulou, Evangelia Damigou, Smaragdi Antonopoulou, Elizabeth Fragopoulou & Demosthenes Panagiotakos

  2. First Cardiology Clinic, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece

    Christina Chysohoou & Christos Pitsavos

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  1. Paraskevi Detopoulou
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Contributions

DP conceptualized this study, performed nutritional analysis, interpreted the data, and wrote the paper; DE analyzed data, interpreted the results and critically reviewed the manuscript; AS interpreted the data and critically reviewed the manuscript; FE conducted research; CC and PC designed research and critically reviewed the manuscript; PDB designed research, critically reviewed the manuscript, and had primary responsibility for final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Demosthenes Panagiotakos.

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The study was approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee of the supervised Institution and was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (1989) of the World Medical Association. All participants gave their written informed consent.

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Detopoulou, P., Damigou, E., Antonopoulou, S. et al. Food Compass Score and its association with inflammatory markers and homocysteine in cardiovascular disease-free adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the ATTICA epidemiological study. Eur J Clin Nutr 77, 998–1004 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-023-01300-z

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