ORIGINAL ARTICLE Habitual dietary intake and mediators of the inflammaging process in Brazilian older women Roberta Silva Paula 1 • Vinı ´cius Carolino Souza 1 • Juliana Oliveira Toledo 1 • Aparecido Pimentel Ferreira 2 • Ciro Jose ´ Brito 3 • Lucy Gomes 4 • Clayton Franco Moraes 1,4 • Cla ´udio Co ´rdova 4 • Ota ´vio Toledo No ´brega 1 Received: 11 July 2015 / Accepted: 18 August 2015 Ó Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 Abstract Aim This study aimed to assess whether the habitual intake of macronutrients by older women associates with circulating levels of important inflammaging mediators by means of a cross-sectional design with 229 Brazilian elderly women. Methods Laboratory tests determined serum IL1a, IL1b, IL6, IL8, IL10, IL12 and TNFa by specific immunoassays. Food records of three alternate days were decomposed into usual intake of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids (and fractions), as well as total energy value (TEV) per patient. Moreover, the study has identified and controlled results for metabolic conditions known to influence the inflam- matory profile: hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and diabetes. Results and discussion Pearson’s correlation test revealed that log 10 IL8 expressed a positive association with levels of saturated fatty acid (FA) (r = 0.173; p = 0.009) and total cholesterol intake (r = 0.223; p = 0.001). Similar analysis of the other mediators revealed no association with dietary intake. Conclusion Higher intakes of total cholesterol and satu- rated FA seem to correlate with increased serum IL8 levels, being a possible mechanism by which this pro-atherogenic intake pattern may increase the risk of age-related chronic diseases with important inflammatory contribution. Keywords Interleukin Á Cytokine Á Inflammation Á Intake Á Diet Á Nutrient Introduction The growth of the world’s elderly population is evident [1], and the inflammaging process in which an increased basal inflammatory activity that may lead to the development of aging-related chronic diseases can be closely observed [2]. The atherosclerotic process, for instance, as the result from two basic mechanisms over the tunica intima (cholesterol accumulation and proliferation of smooth muscle cells), develop from lesions with an important local inflammatory component which relates to the circulating inflammatory profile [3]. In such process where macrophages full of lipids are the main components of fatty streaks, early lesions largely responsible for the development of atherosclerotic plaque, the systemic milieu of cytokines may amplify focal inflammation and trigger the proteolytic remodeling of the arterial wall in terms of collagen content and of other tissue components [4]. Understanding the functional properties of the usual dietary profiles and their effects on cardiovascular health, particularly with regard to the modulation of important inflammatory biomarkers, is an important field of study yet poorly considered for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases [5]. So far, different studies have shown associa- tions between dietary patterns of different populations and inflammatory markers [6–10]. The role of carbohydrates for instance on the modulation of systemic inflammation, especially those with high fiber contents and low glycemic & Ota ´vio Toledo No ´brega otnobrega@gmail.com; otavionobrega@unb.br 1 Universidade de Brası ´lia, Campus Universita ´rio Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brası ´lia, DF 70910-900, Brazil 2 Universidade Paulista, Brası ´lia, Brazil 3 Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil 4 Universidade Cato ´lica de Brası ´lia, Brasilia, Brazil 123 Aging Clin Exp Res DOI 10.1007/s40520-015-0445-x