AUTHOR=Christodoulou Andria , Christophi Costas A. , Sotos-Prieto Mercedes , Moffatt Steven , Zhao Longgang , Kales Stefanos N. , Hébert James R. 

TITLE=The dietary inflammatory index and cardiometabolic parameters in US firefighters

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1382306

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2024.1382306

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Introduction</title><p>Dietary choices play a crucial role in influencing systemic inflammation and the eventual development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) is a novel tool designed to assess the inflammatory potential of one’s diet. Firefighting, which is characterized by high-stress environments and elevated CVD risk, represents an interesting context for exploring the dietary inflammatory-CVD connection.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Aim</title><p>This study aims to investigate the associations between Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII™) scores and cardiometabolic risk parameters among US firefighters.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Methods</title><p>The study analyzed 413 participants from the Indianapolis Fire Department who took part in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-sponsored Mediterranean diet intervention trial. Thorough medical evaluations, encompassing physical examinations, standard laboratory tests, resting electrocardiograms, and submaximal treadmill exercise testing, were carried out. Participants also completed a detailed food frequency questionnaire to evaluate dietary patterns, and E-DII scores were subsequently computed based on the gathered information.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Results</title><p>Participants had a mean body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 ± 4.5 kg/m<sup>2</sup> and an average body fat percentage of 28.1 ± 6.6%. Regression analyses, adjusted for sex, BMI, maximal oxygen consumption (VO<sub>2</sub> max), max metabolic equivalents (METS), age, and body fat percentage, revealed significant associations between high vs. low E-DII scores and total cholesterol (<italic>β</italic> = 10.37, <italic>p</italic> = 0.04). When comparing low <italic>Vs</italic> median E-DII scores there is an increase in glucose (<italic>β</italic> = 0.91, <italic>p</italic> = 0.72) and total cholesterol (<italic>β</italic> = 5.51, <italic>p</italic> = 0.26).</p></sec><sec id="sec5"><title>Conclusion</title><p>Our findings support an association between higher E-DII scores and increasing adiposity, as well as worse lipid profiles.</p></sec>