Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower platelet and leukocyte counts: results from the Moli-sani study.

Platelet (PLT) and white blood cell (WBC) counts are two markers of inflammation and have been linked to the risk for cerebrovascular and coronary heart disease, while a Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with reduced inflammation and mortality for major chronic diseases. We aimed at evaluating the association of a MD with PLT and WBC count. Cross-sectional analysis in a population-based cohort study including 14,586 healthy Italian citizens enrolled within the Moli-sani study. Adherence to MD was appraised by either the Mediterranean diet score (MDS) or the Italian Mediterranean Index (IMI). PLT and WBC counts were both inversely related to the adherence to MD (MDS: p<0.0001 and p=0.008, respectively). As compared to those with poorer adherence to MD, subjects with greater adherence had both reduced odds of being in the highest PLT count (MDS: OR=0.50; 95% CI:0.31-0.80) and increased odds to be in the lowest WBC count (IMI: OR=1.41; 95%CI:1.07-1.86). The association of WBC with MDS disappeared when further adjusted for PLT counts, whereas the associations of PLT counts with MD was not affected by adjustment for WBC. Food antioxidant and dietary fiber content modified the inverse associations of MDS with WBC and partially accounted for the association with PLT.