A proinflammatory diet is associated with an increased likelihood of first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system demyelination in women

Adriana Mannino; Fiona E Lithander; Eleanor Dunlop; Samuel Hoare; Nitin Shivappa; Alison Daly; Michael Phillips; Gavin Pereira; Jill Sherriff; Robyn M Lucas; Anne-Louise Ponsonby; James R Hébert; Ingrid van der Mei; Lucinda J Black; Ausimmune Investigator Group

doi:10.1016/j.msard.2021.103428

A proinflammatory diet is associated with an increased likelihood of first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system demyelination in women

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Jan:57:103428. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103428. Epub 2021 Nov 24.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
² Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, BS8 1QU, United Kingdom.
³ National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
⁴ Cancer Prevention and Control Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America.
⁵ Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁶ Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia; enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia; Centre for Fertility and Health (CeFH), Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
⁷ National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia; Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁸ Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁹ Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
¹⁰ Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI), Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia. Electronic address: lucinda.black@curtin.edu.au.

PMID: 34856497
DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103428

Abstract

Background: While a number of studies have examined associations between dietary factors and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), little is known about intakes of inflammation-modulating foods and nutrients and risk of MS.

Objectives: To test associations between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) and risk of a first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) demyelination (FCD) (267 cases, 507 controls) using data from the Ausimmune Study.

Methods: The 2003-2006 Ausimmune Study was a multicentre, matched, case-control study examining environmental risk factors for an FCD, a common precursor to MS. The DII is a well-recognised tool that categorises individuals' diets on a continuum from maximally anti-inflammatory to maximally pro-inflammatory. The DII score was calculated from dietary intake data collected using a food frequency questionnaire. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between DII and FCD separately for men and women.

Results: In women, a higher DII score was associated with increased likelihood of FCD, with a 17% increase in likelihood of FCD per one-unit increase in DII score (adjusted odds ratio 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.33). There was no association between DII and FCD in men (adjusted odds ratio 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.73-1.07).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with an increased likelihood of FCD in women.

Keywords: Ausimmune study; Dietary inflammatory index; Multiple sclerosis.

MeSH terms

Case-Control Studies
Central Nervous System
Diet*
Female
Humans
Inflammation
Male
Multiple Sclerosis*
Risk Factors