Association of proinflammatory diet with low-grade inflammation: results from the Moli-sani study

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2018-10, Vol.54, p.182-188
• Main Authors: Shivappa, Nitin, Bonaccio, Marialaura, Hebert, James R., Di Castelnuovo, Augusto, Costanzo, Simona, Ruggiero, Emilia, Pounis, George, Donati, Maria Benedetta, de Gaetano, Giovanni, Iacoviello, Licia, Vermylen, Jos, Carrasco, Ignacio De Paula, Giampaoli, Simona, Spagnuolo, Antonio, Assanelli, Deodato, Centritto, Vincenzo, Spagnuolo, Pasquale, Staniscia, Dante, Zito, Francesco, Bonanni, Americo, Cerletti, Chiara, De Curtis, Amalia, Lorenzet, Roberto, Mascioli, Antonio, Olivieri, Marco, Rotilio, Domenico, Gianfagna, Francesco, Giacci, Maurizio, Padulo, Antonella, Petraroia, Dario, Magnacca, Sara, Marracino, Federico, Spinelli, Maria, Silvestri, Christian, Dell'Elba, Giuseppe, Grippi, Claudio, De Lucia, Francesca, Vohnout, Branislav, Zito, Franco, Persichillo, Mariarosaria, Verna, Angelita, Di Lillo, Maura, Di Stefano, Irene, Pampuch, Agnieszka, Pannichella, Agostino, Vizzarri, Antonio Rinaldo, Arcari, Antonella, Barbato, Daniela, Bracone, Francesca, Di Giorgio, Carmine, Panebianco, Simona, Chiovitti, Antonello, Caccamo, Sergio, Caruso, Vanesa, Rago, Livia, Cugino, Daniela, Ferri, Alessandra, Castaldi, Concetta, Mignogna, Marcella, Guszcz, Tomasz, di Giuseppe, Romina, Barisciano, Paola, Buonaccorsi, Lorena, Centritto, Floriana, Cutrone, Antonella, Fanelli, Francesca, Santimone, Iolanda, Sciarretta, Anna, Sorella, Isabella, Plescia, Emanuela, Molinaro, Alessandra, Cavone, Christiana, Galuppo, Giovanna, D'Angelo, Dolores, Ramacciato, Rosanna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adults; Antioxidants; Biomarkers; C-reactive protein; chronic diseases; confidence interval; Cross-sectional; Diet; Dietary inflammatory index; Food; food frequency questionnaires; food intake; Inflammation; Italy; leukocyte count; Low-grade inflammation; males; Moli-sani study; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrition research; Proteins; regression analysis; risk; sedentary lifestyle
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2018.04.004

•The Dietary Inflammatory Index measures the potential for dietary inflammation.•This study assessed the association between the index and low-grade inflammation.•To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine this association in an Italian population.•Results showed that proinflammatory diet was associated with higher level of low-grade inflammation. The association between diet and inflammation is well documented. Yet, no evidence exists on the relationship between the inflammatory potential of the diet and low-grade inflammation (LGI) as measured by a composite score of plasma and cellular biomarkers. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) and LGI in a large population-based cohort. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on data from 20 823 adults (age ≥35 y; 48% male) without acute inflammation, who were recruited within the general population of the Moli-sani study from 2005 to 2010. LGI was measured by using a composite score (INFLA-score) including platelet and leukocyte counts, the granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein. DII scores were computed based on dietary intake assessed by the EPIC food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression models were fit to produce adjusted regression coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Higher DII scores were associated with increased LGI (β = 0.131; 95% CI, 0.089–0.174 for the highest versus lowest quintile of DII) after adjusting for age, sex, lifestyle, prevalence of chronic diseases, and health conditions. A higher DII score also was positively associated with each single biomarker of inflammation included in the INFLA-score, unhealthy behaviors (smoking, sedentary lifestyle), and insulin. Higher DII scores, indicating greater inflammatory potential of the diet, were directly associated with LGI, as measured by a composite score of plasma and cellular biomarkers of inflammation. These findings are consistent with the contributing role of diet-mediated inflammation in increasing risk for inflammation-related chronic diseases.