Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics 3 2 2017 04 14 35 48 EN Mina Hajimohammadi Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Sara Mansouri Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Saragol Eimery Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Seyede Zahra Saadat Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Pooneh Davallou Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Sakineh Shab-Bidara Department of Nutrition Research, National Research Institute and Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Tirang Neyestani Department of Nutrition Research, National Research Institute and Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2017 09 28 2017 09 28 Objective: Given the small effects of single nutrients, evaluating the relationships between cardiovascular disease risk factors and dietary patterns may be particularly useful. An increasing number of studies in recent years are investigating the association of dietary patterns with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the association between a posteriori derived dietary patterns and CRP levels in adults. Methods: PubMed and Scopus were searched for articles published up to March 2015 that examined the association of total diet and CRP levels among adults. Two independent reviewers performed the study selection, quality rating, and data extraction process. Effect sizes of eligible studies were pooled by using random-effects models. Heterogeneity was tested using I2 statistic. Results: Overall, 16 cross-sectional and 4 case-control studies that used a posteriori approach were considered for the meta-analysis and were eligible for inclusion. The comparison of the highest and lowest categories of healthy/prudent patterns revealed a significant decrease in CRP (mean difference (MD): -0.23; 95% CI: -0.40 to -0.056; p = 0.006) when other lifestyle factors were controlled for, although there was heterogeneity in the studies. Pooled results indicated higher levels of CRP (MD: 0.16; 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.23; p < 0.001) in the highest category of unhealthy/Western pattern compared with those in the lowest category, though there was significant heterogeneity. Conclusion: The results of the present meta-analysis provide evidence that a healthy/prudent pattern decreases CRP level, while adherence to unhealthy/Western pattern leads to a higher level of CRP in adults. https://jnsd.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jnsd/article/view/190 https://jnsd.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jnsd/article/download/190/195