Association between the empirical dietary inflammatory index and musculoskeletal pain in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: Osong public health and research perspectives 2023-02, Vol.14 (1), p.51-58
• Main Authors: Rezaei, Mahshid, Tajary, Zahra, Esmaeily, Zahra, Eyvazkhani, Atefeh, Daei, Shahrzad, Dara, Marjan Mansouri, Rezaei, Mohaddeseh, Djazayeri, Abolghassem, Motlagh, Ahmadreza Dorosty
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aged; empirical dietary inflammatory index; inflammation; musculoskeletal pain; Original
• ISSN: 2210-9099; 2233-6052
• DOI: 10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0194

Inflammation has been proposed to be one of the main causes of musculoskeletal pain. Diet is a lifestyle factor that plays an important role in managing inflammation; thus, we assessed the inflammatory potential of diets using the empirical dietary inflammatory index (EDII) to investigate the relationship between diet and musculoskeletal pain. This cross-sectional study included 212 elderly individuals who were selected from health centers in Tehran, Iran. Dietary intake was evaluated using a valid and reliable 147-item food frequency questionnaire. To measure the intensity of pain, a visual analogue scale was used. Multiple linear regression was applied to assess the association between the EDII and musculoskeletal pain. In total, 62.7% and 37.3% of participants had mild and severe pain, respectively. The EDII values were 0.97±0.72 and 1.10±0.66, respectively, in those with mild and severe pain. A higher EDII score was associated with more intense musculoskeletal pain after adjusting for age and sex (β=0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06-0.26; p