Chlamydophila pneumoniae antibodies may be independently associated with increased BMI and percentage of body fat among women

Abstract

Objective: To examine the potential association between Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection and obesity indicators after controlling for nutrient and energy intake, as well as age, smoking status, physical activity and educational level. Subjects: A total of 118 healthy adult females randomly recruited from the local community of Bydgoszcz, aged 20-80 years. Methods: Serum was tested for specific IgG antibodies against C. pneumoniae using qualitative enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Usual dietary intake was assessed by a 7-day food record. Information regarding smoking, physical activity and educational level was collected using the questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI) and percentage of total body fat (%FM) were calculated respectively, as weight (kilograms) divided by height (meters) squared and with the equations of Durnin and Womersley. Results: The prevalence of C. pneumoniae infection was significantly higher among overweight/obese subjects (77.1 vs 60.0%; P ¼ 0.047) in comparison with normal-weight individuals. Using multivariate regression analysis, a significant positive association of BMI (b ¼ 0.194; P ¼ 0.036) and %FM (b ¼ 0.176; P ¼ 0.049) with C. pneumoniae IgG antibody positivity was found after adjustment for age, total energy intake, percentage of energy from fat, carbohydrate and protein, physical activity, educational level and smoking habits. Moreover, the multivariable adjusted odds ratio of being overweight/obese for the seropositive group compared with seronegative individuals was 1.70 (95% confidence interval: 1.02-2.89; P ¼ 0.037). Conclusion:The results indicated that C. pneumoniae infection may be associated with a risk of becoming overweight/ developing obesity independently of dietary and lifestyle factors.

Determination of the Effect of the Elimination Diet Applied for Overweight and Obese People with Food Intolerance on Body Composition and Biochemical Parameters

“…In still another study, researchers investigated the effect of anti-food IgG antibodies in obesity and revelated that intestinal microflora, infection, obesity and anti-food IgG antibodies may be correlated. There is another study revealing similar results [ 43,44,45 ]. However, there is a study, in which no correlation was found between anti-food IgG antibodies and obesity [ 46 ].…”

The Immune Response in Adipocytes and Their Susceptibility to Infection: A Possible Relationship with Infectobesity

“…As for the other pathogens that were previously described, an increase in circulating lipid levels has been observed in samples from Chlamydia-seropositive individuals, suggesting a connection with the possible development of obesity. The vital role of lipids as intracellular nutrients for the proliferation of Chlamydia has been documented [ 125 , 126 ]. A current in vitro study has shown the ability of Chlamydia to infect preadipocytes and promote their differentiation to adipocytes in the 3T3-L1 cell line, suggesting the possibility that Chlamydia can induce infectobesity [ 127 ].…”

Effect of High Calorie Diet on Intestinal Flora in LPS-Induced Pneumonia Rats

“…www.nature.com/scientificreports www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Currently detectable report indicates that incidence of respiratory infections is directly or indirectly related to poor eating habits. In addition to dietary structure, it is also related to gender and underlying diseases (such as metabolic syndrome) [10][11][12] . The "Five Principles of Healthy Eating" recommended by WHO includes food diversification, salt control, oil control, sugar restriction, and alcohol restriction.…”