Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet for 6 Months Improves the Dietary Inflammatory Index in a Western Population: Results from the MedLey Study

Abstract

Increasing evidence supports that a higher dietary inflammatory index (DII®) score is associated with inflammation and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, events, and mortality. This randomized trial sought to determine if a change to a Mediterranean diet resulted in a reduction in the DII score, and then it evaluated the relationship between the DII and cardiometabolic outcomes following the administration of a traditional Mediterranean diet in older Australian adults. A total of 152 Australian adults (mean age 71 ± 5 years) was randomly allocated either a MedDiet (n = 80) or to continue their habitual diet (HabDiet) (n = 72) for 6 months. Diet and cardiovascular outcomes were measured at baseline and 3 and 6 months of the intervention. DII and energy-adjusted DII (E-DIITM) scores were calculated from 3-day weighed food records. There was a significant reduction in the DII score at 2 and 4 months for the MedDiet group (−1.40 ± 0.20 p < 0.001 and −1.47 ± 0.20 p < 0.001, respectively), which was significantly different from the HabDiet group over time (p < 0.001). The HabDiet DII score did not change significantly at the 2 and 4 months timepoints (0.47 ± 0.21 p = 0.35 and 0.54 ± 0.21 p = 0.21, respectively). The improvement in the DII in the MedDiet group was not related to any cardiometabolic outcome. Baseline cross-sectional analyses identified a positive association between the E-DII score and average BMI, body weight, WHR, abdominal adiposity, and SBP, and a negative association with HDL-C. We demonstrate that a MedDiet intervention significantly reduced DII scores compared with a habitual Australian diet in older Australians. This could be beneficial for healthy ageing and the avoidance of chronic disease in Western populations.

The association between the dietary inflammatory index and allergic rhinitis: a case–control study

“…In summary, the MedDiet, known for its anti-inflammatory effects, has been linked to a decrease in the DII score. A randomized controlled trial conducted among older Australians showed that adherence to the MedDiet for 6 months significantly reduced DII scores ( 47 ). This decrease in DII scores implies a potential reduction in inflammation, which could have a positive impact on AR.…”

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