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*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number115
JournalBMC Endocrine Disorders
Volume22
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 May 2022

Keywords

  • Adolescence
  • Body composition
  • Body fat
  • Dietary inflammatory index
  • Obesity

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