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DHPPA, a major plasma alkylresorcinol metabolite reflecting whole-grain wheat and rye intake, and risk of metabolic syndrome: a case–control study

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European Journal of Nutrition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Whole-grain intake assessed through self-reported methods has been suggested to be inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk in epidemiological studies. However, few studies have evaluated the association between whole-grain intake and MetS risk using objective biomarkers of whole-grain intake. The aim of this study was to examine the association between plasma 3-(3,5-Dihydroxyphenyl)-1-propanoic acid (DHPPA), a biomarker of whole-grain wheat and rye intake, and MetS risk in a Chinese population.

Methods

A case–control study of 667 MetS cases and 667 matched controls was conducted based on baseline data of the Tongji-Ezhou Cohort study. Plasma DHPPA concentrations were assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The MetS was defined based on criteria set by the Joint Interim Statement.

Results

Plasma DHPPA was inversely associated with MetS risk. After adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol drinking status, physical activity and education level, the odds ratios (ORs) for MetS across increasing quartiles of plasma DHPPA concentrations were 1 (referent), 0.86 (0.58–1.26), 0.77 (0.52–1.15), and 0.59 (0.39–0.89), respectively. In addition, the cubic spline analysis revealed a potential nonlinear association between plasma DHPPA and MetS, with a steep reduction in the risk at the lower range of plasma DHPPA concentration.

Conclusion

Our study revealed that individuals with higher DHPPA concentrations in plasma had lower odds of MetS compared to those with lower DHPPA concentrations in plasma. Our findings provided further evidence to support health benefits of whole grain consumption.

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Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable.

Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

CI:

Confidence interval

DHBA:

3,5-Dihydroxybenozoic acid

DHPPA:

3-(3,5-Dihydroxyphenyl)-1-propanoic acid

FFQ:

Food frequency questionnaire

HDL-C:

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol

LC–MS/MS:

High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy

LDL-C:

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

MetS:

Metabolic syndrome

OR:

Odds ratio

TJEZ:

Tongji–Ezhou

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Acknowledgements

The chief acknowledgement is to the staff based in the involved hospital and the Echeng Steel corporation for assisting with the fieldwork.

Funding

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81773423), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81903312), the Major International (Regional) Joint Research Project (NSFC 81820108027), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFC1600500), the Special Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81941016). The funding sources had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China

    Li Zhou, Shan Hu, Shuang Rong, Xiaoxing Mo, Qiang Wang, Jiawei Yin, Xiaobo Peng, Xiaoqin Li, Liangkai Chen, Zhilei Shan & Liegang Liu

  2. Ministry of Education Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China

    Li Zhou, Shan Hu, Shuang Rong, Xiaoxing Mo, Qiang Wang, Jiawei Yin, Xiaobo Peng, Xiaoqin Li, Liangkai Chen, Zhilei Shan & Liegang Liu

  3. Department of Nutrition, Hygiene and Toxicology, Academy of Nutrition and Health, School of Public Health, Medical College, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

    Li Zhou & Shuang Rong

  4. Department of Environment Health, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, China

    Guohong Liu

  5. Zhuhai Precision Medical Center, Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated With Jinan University), Zhuhai, 519000, China

    Taoping Sun

Authors
  1. Li Zhou
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  2. Shan Hu
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  11. Guohong Liu
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  12. Taoping Sun
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  13. Liegang Liu
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Contributions

ZL, TS, and LL: designed the study. ZL: analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. SH, SR, XM, QW, JY, XP, and XL: conducted the experiments and performed the data collection. LC, ZS, and GL: commented on drafts and edited the manuscript. LL and TS had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Taoping Sun or Liegang Liu.

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Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethics approval

Approval of the Ethics and Human Subject Committee of Tongji Medical College was obtained before the start of the work.

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All the participants gave written, informed consent to participate in the study.

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Not applicable.

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Zhou, L., Hu, S., Rong, S. et al. DHPPA, a major plasma alkylresorcinol metabolite reflecting whole-grain wheat and rye intake, and risk of metabolic syndrome: a case–control study. Eur J Nutr 61, 3247–3254 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-02880-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-02880-5

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