(P25-042-25) Berry (Poly)phenols and Fructo-Oligosaccharide: Role in Ameliorating Inflammation

Objectives: The objective of this research was to assess the effects of chronic intake of strawberries and red raspberries on measures of inflammation in adults with low-grade inflammation, and to evaluate potential additive effects by combining a pre-biotic (fructo-oligosaccharide) with these berry (poly)phenols.

Methods: Ninety-two participants (hs-CRP >1.0 mg/L, 35 ± 13 years, 29.8 ± 4.5 kg/m2; mean ± SD) were randomized to one of four beverages in this 4-week parallel, single-blinded, placebo-controlled study (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04100200). Beverages were consumed daily for 4-weeks and contained either mixed berries (MB), fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS), MB + FOS or a control. Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline (Day 0) and end of the study (Day 28). Primary endpoints assessed were markers of inflammation: high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Statistical analyses were performed using SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA).

Results: Preliminary analysis suggests consumption of MB + FOS marginally lowers pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α (Day 0: 0.83 ± 0.1 pg/mL, Day 28: 0.76 ± 0.1 pg/mL; p=0.076). However, this effect was significant in comparison to MB (Day 28: 0.99 ± 0.1 pg/mL; p=0.018) and FOS (Day 28: 0.98 ± 0.1 pg/mL; p=0.009) at Day 28. A significant increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 was observed in the control group (Day 0: 1.17 ± 0.1 pg/mL, Day 28: 1.55 ± 0.2 pg/mL; p=0.019), but no other significant changes were observed with other study interventions. No significant changes were observed in hs-CRP across all study interventions.

Conclusions: The combination of MB and FOS had a synergistic anti-inflammatory effect particularly in modulating TNF-α, compared to MB or FOS alone, in adults with chronic-low grade inflammation. Population characteristics with response to intervention may need to be investigated to further interpret results.

Funding Sources: This work is supported by Agricultural and Food Research Initiative {grant no. 2019-67017-29254/project accession no. 1018625} from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.