Table 2. Baseline Biomarker Levels According to MED Intake.
| Biomarker | Median (IQR)a | P Value for Trend | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MED Score 0-3 | MED Score 4-5 | MED Score ≥6 | ||
| Blood pressure, mm Hg | ||||
| Systolic | 125.0 (115.0-135.0) | 125.0 (115.0-135.0) | 125.0 (115.0-125.0) | .82 |
| Diastolic | 80.0 (70.0-80.0) | 80.0 (70.0-80.0) | 80.0 (70.0-80.0) | .02 |
| Lipids, cholesterol, mg/dL | ||||
| LDL | 121.8 (100.9-144.4) | 121.3 (101.1-144.2) | 121.0 (100.4-144.9) | .83 |
| HDL | 51.2 (42.7-61.4) | 52.5 (43.7-62.9) | 53.6 (44.6-64.3) | <.001 |
| Triglycerides | 118.0 (84.0-173.0) | 118.0 (83.0-174.0) | 117.0 (83.0-169.0) | .001 |
| Total | 207.0 (183.0-234.0) | 208.0 (184.0-235.0) | 209.0 (184.0-236.0) | .03 |
| Lipoproteins, mg/dL | ||||
| Lipoprotein(a) | 10.4 (4.3-32.1) | 10.8 (4.6-33.3) | 10.8 (4.4-33.1) | .04 |
| Apolipoprotein AI | 147.7 (131.1-166.2) | 149.7 (133.3-168.4) | 151.8 (134.9-170.7) | <.001 |
| Apolipoprotein B100 | 100.2 (84.1-120.9) | 99.7 (83.4-120.5) | 99.7 (83.9-120.7) | .87 |
| LDL particles and size | ||||
| LDL particle concentration, nmol/L | 1566.0 (1330.0-1840.0) | 1567.0 (1330.0-1838.0) | 1569.0 (1327.0-1835.0) | .99 |
| LDL particle size, nm | 20.9 (20.6-21.2) | 20.9 (20.6-21.2) | 20.9 (20.6-21.2) | .003 |
| HDL particles and size | ||||
| HDL particle concentration, μmol/L | 24.2 (21.8-26.8) | 24.4 (22.1-27.1) | 24.6 (22.2-27.2) | <.001 |
| HDL particle size, nm | 8.9 (8.6-9.2) | 8.9 (8.7-9.2) | 8.9 (8.7-9.2) | <.001 |
| VLDL measures | ||||
| TRL particle concentration, nmol/L | 167.2 (132.2-208.6) | 166.7 (129.7-208.9) | 165.3 (129.2-207.4) | .09 |
| TRL particle size, nm | 42.5 (38.6-48.1) | 42.6 (38.6-47.9) | 42.4 (38.5-47.6) | .02 |
| Glycemic | ||||
| Hemoglobin A1c, % of total hemoglobin | 5.00 (4.8-5.2) | 4.99 (4.8-5.2) | 5.00 (4.8-5.2) | .25 |
| Glucose metabolism and insulin resistanceb | ||||
| Lipoprotein insulin resistance index score | 41.0 (21.0-62.0) | 40.0 (20.0-61.0) | 38.0 (20.0-58.0) | <.001 |
| Insulin resistance diabetes risk factor score | 33.0 (15.0-54.0) | 32.0 (15.0-52.0) | 29.0 (13.0-49.0) | <.001 |
| Short-term diabetes risk factor index score | 49.0 (42.0-53.0) | 49.0 (40.0-53.0) | 48.0 (40.0-52.0) | <.001 |
| 5-y diabetes risk factor index score | 46.0 (31.0-63.0) | 45.0 (29.0-61.0) | 42.0 (28.0-59.0) | <.001 |
| Inflammation | ||||
| High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, mg/L | 2.1 (0.8-4.5) | 2.0 (0.8-4.3) | 1.8 (0.8-4.0) | <.001 |
| Fibrinogen, mg/dL | 351.4 (307.3-405.0) | 350.8 (308.3-401.5) | 347.4 (305.2-398.4) | .001 |
| Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, ng/mL | 345.6 (302.2 (400.2) | 342.1 (300.7-393.1) | 337.8 (297.7-384.8) | <.001 |
| Glycoprotein acetylation, μmol/L | 385.0 (340.0-433.0) | 382.0 (339.0-429.0) | 379.0 (335.0-424.0) | <.001 |
| Branched-chain amino acids, μmol/L | ||||
| Total branched-chain amino acids | 404.0 (351.0-465.0) | 400.0 (349.0-460.0) | 397.0 (348.0-455.0) | <.001 |
| Valine | 221.0 (193.0-253.0) | 220.0 (193.0-250.0) | 218.0 (192.0-248.0) | .004 |
| Leucine | 132.0 (111.0-156.0) | 131.0 (110.0-154.0) | 131.0 (110.0-154.0) | .003 |
| Isoleucine | 51.0 (40.0-65.0) | 50.0 (38.0-63.0) | 49.0 (38.0-62.0) | <.001 |
| Small-molecule metabolites | ||||
| Citrate, μmol/L | 94.0 (79.0-110.0) | 94.0 (79.0-111.0) | 93.0 (78.0-110.0) | .05 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 0.7 (0.6-0.8) | 0.7 (0.6-0.8) | 0.7 (0.6-0.8) | .43 |
| Homocysteine, μmol/L | 10.7 (8.8-13.2) | 10.3 (8.6-12.7) | 10.2 (8.6 (12.4) | <.001 |
Abbreviations: HDL, high-density lipoprotein; IQR, interquartile range; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; MED, Mediterranean diet; TRL, triglyceride-rich lipoprotein; VLDL, very low-density lipoprotein.
SI conversion factors: To convert HDL and LDL cholesterol to mmol/L, multiply by 0.0253; triglycerides to mmol/L, multiply by 0.0113; lipoprotein(a) to μmol/L, multiply by 0.0357; apolipoprotein AI and Apolipoprotein B100 to g/L, multiply by 0.01; hemoglobin A1c to proportion of total hemoglobin, multiply by 0.01; C-reactive protein to nmol/L, multiply by 9.524; fibrinogen to μmol/L, multiply by 0.0294; and creatinine to μmol/L, multiply by 88.4.
We categorized the participants according to 3 levels of MED (scores of 0-3, 4-5, and 6-9).
Five-year diabetes risk factor index, insulin resistance diabetes risk factor, short-term diabetes risk factor index, and lipoprotein insulin resistance index are scored on a scale of 1 to 100, with higher numbers indicating higher risk.