Associations between the dietary inflammatory index with obesity and body fat in male adolescents

Maryam Gholamalizadeh; Mina Ahmadzadeh; Fatemeh BourBour; Farhad Vahid; Marjan Ajami; Nazanin Majidi; Azadeh Hajipour; Saeid Doaei; Naser Kalantari; Atiyeh Alizadeh; Alireza Mosavi Jarrahi

doi:10.1186/s12902-022-01001-x

Associations between the dietary inflammatory index with obesity and body fat in male adolescents

BMC Endocr Disord. 2022 May 2;22(1):115. doi: 10.1186/s12902-022-01001-x.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Students Research Committee, Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Population Health Department, Nutrition and Health Research Group, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Strassen, Luxembourg.
⁴ Department of Food and Nutrition Policy and Planning, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, School of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Department of Nutrition, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
⁶ School of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
⁷ Research Center of Health and Environment, School of Health, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
⁸ Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁹ Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
¹⁰ School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. nokhbegaani@yahoo.com.

Abstract

Background: Obesity and body composition may be affected by the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory components of diets. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and body fat percentage (BF%) in male adolescents.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 535 adolescent boys in Tehran, Iran. Bio-impedance analyzer (BIA) scale was used to measure body mass index (BMI) and body composition. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to measure DII.

Results: Participants with higher BF% (≥ 19.2%) had higher BMI (P < 0.001), DII, and intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), compared with the participants with lower BF%. Participants with a lower DII had significantly higher intakes of fibers (P < 0.001) and lower intakes of fats, SFAs, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), oleic acid and linoleic acid (P < 0.05) compared with the participants with higher DII (P < 0.01). High BF% was positively associated to DII (OR = 1.6, CI 95%: 1.1-2.3, P = 0.019). Adjustments for age, BMI, physical activity, mothers' marital status and educational level and the number of siblings did not change the results.

Conclusions: Following a diet with a low inflammatory index score was associated to lower BF% in male adolescents. Thus, a diet rich in anti-inflammatory factors may effectively improve body composition and prevent obesity in adolescents. Further comprehensive studies are necessary to verify these findings and to identify the underlying mechanisms.

Keywords: Adolescence; Body composition; Body fat; Dietary inflammatory index; Obesity.

MeSH terms

Adipose Tissue*
Adolescent
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diet
Humans
Iran / epidemiology
Male
Obesity* / epidemiology