Association between dietary inflammatory index and musculoskeletal disorders in adults

Abstract

This research investigated how the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) related to musculoskeletal issues in adults. It used a cross-sectional design with a sample of 3477 female and 3572 male participants aged 35 to 65 from the Ravansar Non-Communicable Diseases cohort study in western Iran. The DII is calculated from a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to measure dietary intake. Musculoskeletal disorders including back pain, back pain/stiffness, joint pain, and joint pain/stiffness were evaluated by the RaNCD cohort study physician using a standard questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis examined the association between DII and musculoskeletal disorders. The findings demonstrated a positive association between higher DII scores and back pain/stiffness (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.04–1.73, P = 0.047). Furthermore, DII displayed a significant association with a heightened odd to joint pain (OR 1.26, CI 1.10–1.46) when compared to those with lower DII scores (Q3 vs. Q1). After adjusting for cofounding factors, the Q3 DII quintile participants showed a 44% higher odd of experiencing joint pain/stiffness (OR 1.44, CI 1.01–2.05, P = 0.047). However, the study found no significant association between back pain and DII (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the research suggests that consuming a pro-inflammatory diet might be linked to developing musculoskeletal issues in adults.