PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Vanessa Garcia-Larsen
AU  - Jamess Potts
AU  - Peter GJ Burney
TI  - Late-breaking abstract: Dietary flavonoids, ventilatory function and lung obstruction in adults across Europe – a GA<sup>2</sup>LEN study
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P4081
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4081.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4081.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - BackgroundDietary flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects which might protect the lungs, but epidemiological evidence is scant. We investigated the association between flavonoids and lung function in European adults.MethodsA stratified random sample was drawn from the GA2LEN screening survey, in which 55,000 adults aged 15 to 75 answered a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. Post-bronchodilator spirometry was obtained from 2,810 subjects. Forced vital capacity (FVC), the ratio between the forced exhaled volume in 1 second (FEV1) and FVC (FEV1/FVC), FVC below lower limit of normal (FVC<LLN) and FEV1/FVC<LLN were calculated. Intake of 6 major classes of flavonoids was estimated using the GA2LEN FFQ. Associations between outcomes and flavonoids were examined with regression and meta-analyses. Simes procedure was used to adjust for multiple comparisons.Results FVC (Lt) was associated with anthocyanin intake (Adjusted [a] b-coeffient of higher vs. lowest quintile intake 0.16; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.06 to 0.26) and with flavone intake (ab-coefficent 0.19; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.28). A lower risk of having an FVC < LLN was observed in those with a higher intake of flavones (Odds Ratio [aOR] 0.43; 0.23 to 0.83). The risk of having an FEV1/FVC < LLN was lower in those with highest intakes of Flavan3ols (aOR 0.37; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.92). After controlling for multiple comparisons, only the associations with FVC remained statistically significant.ConclusionThis first epidemiological study on all major flavonoid subclasses and lung function and obstruction provides evidence for a protective effect of anthocyanins on lung function in adults.