Mental disorders are a growing public health concern and evidence has linked chronic low-grade inflammation with depression and well-being. Research also suggests that certain modifiable lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, diet quality and BMI are related to psychological health. These may modulate the relationship between low-grade inflammation and mental health conditions. In this study we examined inflammatory biomarker associations with two psychological health scores and investigated whether relationships are influenced by lifestyle factors and BMI.

Highlights
•Mental health score associations with pro-inflammatory biomarkers were observed.
•These relationships survived adjustment for demographic variables and health conditions.
•Associations were attenuated in models which adjusted for lifestyle factors and BMI.
•The relationship between systemic low-grade inflammation and mental health may be largely explained by modifiable lifestyle factors.