Background: Higher levels of anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), the main arachidonic acid-derived endocannabinoids, are frequently reported in overweight and obese individuals. Recently, endocannabinoids have become a research interest in obesity area regarding their role in food intake. The relationship between dietary patterns and endocannabinoids is poorly understood; therefore, this study evaluated the association of the dietary patterns with AEA and 2-AG levels in overweight and obese women.
Methods: In this cross sectional study, 183 overweight and obese females from Tabriz, Iran who aged between 19 and 50 years old and with mean BMI = 32.44 ± 3.79 kg/m2 were interviewed. The AEA and 2-AG levels were measured, and the dietary patterns were assessed using food frequency questionnaire. To extract the dietary patterns, factor analysis was applied. The association between AEA and 2-AG levels and dietary patterns was analyzed by linear regression.
Results: Three major dietary patterns including "Western", "healthy", and "traditional" were extracted. After adjusting for age, physical activity, BMI, waist circumference, and fat mass, higher levels of AEA and 2-AG were observed in participants who were in the highest quintile of the Western pattern (P < 0.05). Also, in both unadjusted and adjusted models, significantly lower levels of AEA and 2-AG were detected in the women of the highest quintile of the healthy pattern (P < 0.01). Moreover, there was no significant association between "traditional" pattern and AEA and 2- AG levels in both unadjusted and adjusted models (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: In regard with the lower levels of endocannabinoids in healthy dietary pattern, adherence to healthy pattern might have promising results in regulating endocannabinoids levels.
Keywords: 2-arachidonoylglycerol; Anadamide; Dietary pattern; Endocannabinoids; Factor analysis; Obesity; Women.