Our objective was to evaluate the association of antioxidant intake and the inflammatory potential of the diet with functional decline in older men. A diet history questionnaire was used to collect dietary intake data from men aged ≥ 75 years (n 794) participating in the Concord Health and Aging in Men Project cohort study. Intake of vitamins A, C, E and Zn were compared with the Australian Nutrient Reference Values to determine adequacy. The Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DIITM) was used to assess the inflammatory potential of the diet. Physical performance data were collected via handgrip strength and walking speed tests, and activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) questionnaires, at baseline and 3-year follow-up (n 616). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify associations between diet and incident poor physical function and disability. Both poor antioxidant intake and high E-DII scores at baseline were significantly associated with poor grip strength and ADL disability at 3-year follow-up. No significant associations with walking speed or IADL disability were observed. Individual micronutrient analysis revealed a significant association between the lowest two quartiles of vitamin C intake and poor grip strength. The lowest quartiles of intake for vitamins A, C, E and Zn were significantly associated with incident ADL disability. The study observed that poor antioxidant and anti-inflammatory food intake were associated with odds of developing disability and declining muscle strength in older men. Further interventional research is necessary to clarify the causality of these associations.

This study evaluated the association between inflammatory diets as measured by the Dietary Inflammatory index (DII), inflammation biomarkers and the development of preeclampsia among the Chinese population. We followed the reporting guidelines of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement for observational studies. A total of 466 preeclampsia cases aged over 18 years were recruited between March 2016 and June 2019, and 466 healthy controls were 1:1 ratio matched by age (±3 years), week of gestation (±1 week) and gestational diabetes mellitus. The energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) was computed based on dietary intake assessed using a seventy-nine item semiquantitative FFQ. Inflammatory biomarkers were analysed by ELISA kits. The mean E-DII scores were −0·65 ± 1·58 for cases and −1·19 ± 1·47 for controls (P value < 0·001). E-DII scores positively correlated with interferon-γ (r s = 0·194, P value = 0·001) and IL-4 (r s = 0·135, P value = 0·021). After multivariable adjustment, E-DII scores were positively related to preeclampsia risk (P trend < 0·001). The highest tertile of E-DII was 2·18 times the lowest tertiles (95 % CI = 1·52, 3·13). The odds of preeclampsia increased by 30 % (95 % CI = 18 %, 43 %, P value < 0·001) for each E-DII score increase. The preeclampsia risk was positively associated with IL-2 (OR = 1·07, 95 % CI = 1·03, 1·11), IL-4 (OR = 1·26, 95 % CI = 1·03, 1·54) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) (OR = 1·17, 95 % CI = 1·06, 1·29). Therefore, proinflammatory diets, corresponding to higher IL-2, IL-4 and TGF-β levels, were associated with increased preeclampsia risk.

Dietary inflammatory potential assessed by the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) has been associated with health outcomes. However, longitudinal changes in the DII in relation to health outcomes rarely have been studied. This study aimed to examine change in the DII score over 10 years and its association with subsequent mortality in the Multiethnic Cohort. The analysis included 56 263 African American, Japanese American, Latino, Native Hawaiian and White participants who completed baseline (45–75 years) and 10-year follow-up surveys, including a FFQ. Mean energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) decreased over 10 years in men (from −0·85 to −1·61) and women (from −1·80 to −2·47), reflecting changes towards a more anti-inflammatory diet. During an average follow-up of 13·0 years, 16 363 deaths were identified. In multivariable Cox models, compared with anti-inflammatory stable individuals, risk of all-cause mortality was increased with pro-inflammatory change in men (hazard ratio (HR) = 1·13, 95 % CI 1·03, 1·23) and women (HR = 1·22, 95 % CI 1·13, 1·32). Per one-point increase in E-DII score over time, HR was 1·02 (95 % CI 1·00, 1·03) for men and 1·06 (95 % CI 1·04, 1·07) for women (P for heterogeneity < 0·001). While no heterogeneity by race and ethnicity was observed for men, the increased risk per one-point increase among women was stronger in non-Whites than in Whites (P for heterogeneity = 0·004). Our findings suggest that a change towards a more pro-inflammatory diet is associated with an increased risk of mortality both in men and women, and that the association is stronger in women, especially non-White women, than in men.

Dietary factors play a role in modulating chronic inflammation and in the development of CVD. We aimed to investigate the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and cardiometabolic risk factors among adolescents. A total of 31 684 Brazilian adolescents (aged 12–17 years) from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA) were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-h dietary recall. The energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) score was calculated based on data for twenty-five available nutrients. The anthropometric profile, blood pressure, lipid profile, glucose, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and glycated Hb were measured. Poisson regression models were used to examine the associations between sex-specific quartiles of the E-DII and cardiometabolic risk factors. In the energy-adjusted models, when comparing a high pro-inflammatory diet (quartile 4) with an anti-inflammatory diet (quartile 1), there was a positive association with high HOMA-IR among boys (prevalence ratios (PR)Q4 = 1·37, 95 % CI: 1·04, 1·79); and with high fasting glucose (PRQ4 = 1·96, 95 % CI: 1·02, 3·78), high TAG (PRQ4 = 1·92, 95 % CI: 1·06, 3·46), low HDL-cholesterol (PRQ4 = 1·16, 95 % CI: 1·02, 1·32) and high LDL-cholesterol (PRQ4 = 1·93, 95 % CI: 1·12, 3·33) among girls. Additionally, a moderately pro-inflammatory diet was positively associated with high HOMA-IR (PRQ2 = 1·14, 95 % CI: 1·02, 1·29) among girls and high total cholesterol (PRQ3 = 1·56, 95 % CI: 1·20, 2·01) among boys. In conclusion, this study provides new evidence on the association between inflammatory diets with cardiometabolic risk factors among adolescents.

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between diet quality, the relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria of the gut microbiome and muscle mass, strength and function. In this cross-sectional study, n = 490 men (64.4 ± 13.5 years) from the Geelong Osteoporosis Study provided food frequency questionnaire data, from which the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) and Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) score were calculated. Muscle mass (skeletal muscle index from DXA-derived lean mass), muscle strength (handgrip strength) and muscle function (Timed Up-and-Go test) were measured. Participants provided stool samples for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. There was no evidence of associations between alpha or beta diversity and muscle health measures. A healthier ARFS score was positively associated with the relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria (β 0.09, 95%CI 0.03, 0.15) and a higher (pro-inflammatory) DII score was associated with lower relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria (β −0.60, 95%CI −1.06, −0.15). The relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria was positively associated with healthier muscle mass, strength and function; however, these relationships were attenuated in multivariable models. These findings support the role of diet quality in achieving a healthier gut microbiome, however, further evidence is required for a gut-muscle axis in humans.

The aim of the study was to assess the inflammatory potential of the Brazilian population’s diet and its association with demographic, socio-economic and anthropometric characteristics. A cross-sectional study was performed with 34 003 individuals aged 10 years and older, evaluated by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (POF 2008–2009). The Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII™) was determined using thirty-four dietary parameters calculated through non-consecutive 2-d dietary records. Positive scores indicate a pro-inflammatory diet, while negative scores indicate an anti-inflammatory diet. A bivariate and multivariate linear regression analysis based on a hierarchical theoretical model was performed to verify the factors associated with the E-DII. The mean of the E-DII was 1·04 (range of −4·77 to +5·98). The highest values of the pro-inflammatory E-DII were found among adolescents (1·42; P < 0·001) and individuals with higher income (1·10; P < 0·001) and level of education (1·18; P < 0·001). In the final model, the E-DII was associated with higher income quartiles and was higher in the Northeast and South regions, in white people, individuals with ≥9 years of education and adults and adolescents age group. The Brazilian population consumes a diet with high inflammatory potential, especially adolescents, white people and those with higher income and level of education. Thus, the index presented uneven distribution among the population, emphasising groups with higher dietary inflammatory potential. The socio-economic risk profile of a diet with higher inflammatory potential in medium-income countries is different from what is observed in high-income nations.

Diet has direct and indirect effects on health through inflammation and the gut microbiome. We investigated total dietary inflammatory potential via the literature-derived index (Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®)) with gut microbiota diversity, composition and function. In cancer-free patient volunteers initially approached at colonoscopy and healthy volunteers recruited from the medical centre community, we assessed 16S ribosomal DNA in all subjects who provided dietary assessments and stool samples (n 101) and the gut metagenome in a subset of patients with residual fasting blood samples (n 34). Associations of energy-adjusted DII scores with microbial diversity and composition were examined using linear regression, permutational multivariate ANOVA and linear discriminant analysis. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate associations of species and pathways with DII and circulating inflammatory markers. Across DII levels, α- and β-diversity did not significantly differ; however, Ruminococcus torques, Eubacterium nodatum, Acidaminococcus intestini and Clostridium leptum were more abundant in the most pro-inflammatory diet group, while Akkermansia muciniphila was enriched in the most anti-inflammatory diet group. With adjustment for age and BMI, R. torques, E. nodatum and A. intestini remained significantly associated with a more pro-inflammatory diet. In the metagenomic and fasting blood subset, A. intestini was correlated with circulating plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, a pro-inflammatory marker (rho = 0·40), but no associations remained significant upon correction for multiple testing. An index reflecting overall inflammatory potential of the diet was associated with specific microbes, but not overall diversity of the gut microbiome in our study. Findings from this preliminary study warrant further research in larger samples and prospective cohorts.

This study aimed to assess the relationship between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®), a validated tool for evaluating diet-associated inflammation, and anthropometric indices in children and adolescents. This multicentre survey was conducted on 5427 school students selected via multistage cluster sampling from thirty provinces of Iran. This survey was conducted under the framework of the weight disorders survey, which is part of a national surveillance programme entitled Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and Prevention of Adult Non-communicable Diseases-IV. For calculating the DII scores, twenty-five dietary factors were obtained from a validated 168-item FFQ. Height, weight, wrist circumference, neck circumference (NC), waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) were measured. BMI z-score, waist circumference:hip circumference ratio (WHR), waist circumference:height ratio (WHtR) and parental BMI were computed. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the association of DII and anthropometric indices. Significant trends were observed across quartiles of DII score for all anthropometric indices in all participants (P <0·05), except for WHR and WHtR. After adjustment for potential confounders, the multiple linear regression analysis for each anthropometric index revealed that participants in the highest DII quartile had higher BMI z-score, WC, HC and parental BMI compared with those in the first (or lowest) quartile. In summary, we found that a pro-inflammatory diet was associated with higher BMI z-score, wrist circumference, NC, WC, HC and parental BMI. The large sample size of the present study may influence the statistical significance of observed associations. Hence, the findings should be clinically interpreted with caution.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is described as a progressive alteration of kidney function, resulting from multiple factors, including behaviours. We investigated the association of the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) with prevalent CKD in adult Americans. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants with measured data on kidney function markers from 2005 to 2012 were included in this study. Prevalent CKD was based on an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min per 1·73 m2 or urinary albumin/creatinine≥30 mg/g. Energy-adjusted DII (E-DIITM) scores were calculated from 24-h dietary recalls. Statistical analyses accounted for the survey design and sample weights. We included 21 649 participants, with 1634 (6·8 %) having prevalent CKD. Participants with high E-DII scores had greater BMI, fasting blood glucose and systolic blood pressure, and were more likely to be diabetic or hypertensive (all P<0·001) compared with those with lower E-DII scores. In regression models adjusted for age, sex, race, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, BMI, hypertension and diabetes status, mean eGFR significantly decreased across increasing quartiles of E-DII, whereas serum uric acid level and log urinary albumin:creatinine ratio significantly increased (all P<0·001). Prevalent CKD increased from 5·3 % in the lowest to 9·3 % in the highest E-DII quartile (P=0·02). In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, the odds of prevalent CKD were 29 % higher in the highest compared with the lowest E-DII quartile. Pro-inflammatory diet is associated with declining kidney function and high prevalence of CKD. Dietary changes that reduce inflammation have a potential to prevent CKD.

Diet has been shown to have an effect on both inflammation and oesophageal cancer. This study investigated the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII®) and the risk of oesophageal cancer in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. A case–control study was conducted during 2008–2009 in Urumqi and Shihezi. DII scores were calculated based on dietary intake assessed by a validated FFQ administered to 359 incident oesophageal cancer patients and 380 hospital-based controls. Higher DII scores indicate more pro-inflammatory diets. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between DII scores and oesophageal cancer risk. Oesophageal cancer patients had a significantly higher median DII score (−0·35; interquartile range (IQR)=−2·25, 1·86) than that of controls (−1·41; IQR −3·07, 0·40). Multivariable logistic analysis revealed a positive association between higher DII scores and oesophageal cancer risk (ORQuartile 4 v. 1 2·55; 95 % CI 1·61, 4·06; Ptrend<0·001). A pro-inflammatory diet appears to be associated with an increased risk of oesophageal cancer in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Specific carcinogenic mechanisms are discussed. Accumulating evidence, to which the study contributes, indicates that encouraging the intake of more anti-inflammatory foods may be a strategy to protect against oesophageal cancer in this high-risk area of China.

The objective of this study was to examine the association between dietary inflammatory potential and memory and cognitive functioning among a representative sample of the US older adult population. Cross-sectional data from the 2011–2012 and 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were utilised to identify an aggregate sample of adults 60–85 years of age (n 1723). Dietary inflammatory index (DII®) scores were calculated using 24-h dietary recall interviews. Three memory-related assessments were employed, including the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s disease (CERAD) Word Learning subset, the Animal Fluency test and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Inverse associations were observed between DII scores and the different memory parameters. Episodic memory (CERAD) (badjusted=−0·39; 95 % CI −0·79, 0·00), semantic-based memory (Animal Fluency Test) (badjusted=−1·18; 95 % CI −2·17, −0·20) and executive function and working-memory (DSST) (badjusted=−2·80; 95 % CI −5·58, −0·02) performances were lowest among those with the highest mean DII score. Though inverse relationships were observed between DII scores and memory and cognitive functioning, future work is needed to further explore the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the complex relationship between inflammation-related dietary behaviour and memory and cognition.