Dose-Response Associations of Dietary Inflammatory Potential With Health Outcomes: A Prospective Cohort Study of 198,265 UK Biobank Participants

Disease areas:

• cancer and other tissue growths
• heart and blood vessels

Last updated:

2 July 2025

Author(s):

Frederick K Ho, Michael D Wirth, Solange Parra-Soto, Jirapitcha Boonpor, Ziyi Zhou, Fanny Petermann-Rocha, Shinya Nakada, Katherine M Livingstone, John C Mathers, Jill P Pell, James R Hébert, Carlos Celis-Morales

Publish date:

29 April 2023

Journal:

Current Problems in Cardiology

PubMed ID:

37121456

DOI:

10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2023.101774

Abstract

To investigate the dose-response associations of dietary inflammatory potential with all-cause mortality and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer.

METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of 198,265 UK Biobank participants who completed at least 1 dietary assessment. A web based 24 hours recall questionnaire was used to derive the energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII). All-cause mortality and incident CVD and cancer ascertained from linked records.

RESULTS: After adjusting for socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, there were J-shaped associations of E-DII with all-cause mortality and CVD, and a relatively linear association with cancer. When E-DII was <0, E-DII was not associated with any of the outcomes. When E-DII was ≥0, the linear associations were strongest in all-cause mortality (HR 1.09, 95% CI, 1.05-1.13), followed by CVD (HR 1.06, 95% CI, 1.03-1.09), and cancer (HR 1.03, 95%,CI, 1.01-1.05).

CONCLUSION: Dietary inflammatory potential was associated with mortality and CVD primarily when the diet is proinflammatory.