Abstract
Inflammation is a risk factor for the onset and progression of schizophrenia, and dietary factors are related to chronic inflammation. We investigated whether the dietary inflammatory index (DII) is associated with schizophrenia in the Korean population. Of the 256 subjects who responded to the questionnaire, 184 subjects (117 controls; 67 individuals with schizophrenia) were included in this case-control study. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate the dietary intakes of the study participants. The energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) was used to assess the inflammatory potential of the participants’ diets. Dietary intakes of vitamin C, niacin, and folate were significantly reduced in the patients with schizophrenia. The patients with schizophrenia had higher E-DII scores than the controls (p = 0.011). E-DII was positively associated with schizophrenia (odds ratio = 1.254, p = 0.010). The additional analysis confirmed that E-DII was significantly associated with schizophrenia, especially in the third tertile group of E-DII scores (odds ratio = 2.731, p = 0.016). Our findings suggest that patients with schizophrenia have more pro-inflammatory diets.
Highlights
Inflammation is a risk factor for the onset and progression of schizophrenia, and dietary factors are related to chronic inflammation
Body weight, body mass index (BMI), and frequency of obesity were significantly higher in the participants with schizophrenia than in the controls (Table 2)
Our results suggest that pro-inflammatory potentials of diets are associated with schizophrenia
Summary
Inflammation is a risk factor for the onset and progression of schizophrenia, and dietary factors are related to chronic inflammation. E-DII was positively associated with schizophrenia (odds ratio = 1.254, p = 0.010). The additional analysis confirmed that E-DII was significantly associated with schizophrenia, especially in the third tertile group of E-DII scores (odds ratio = 2.731, p = 0.016). A substantial proportion of patients with schizophrenia do not receive appropriate care due to socioeconomic barriers, especially in low- and middle-income countries [2]. Symptoms of this devastating disease can be classified as positive (hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, and disorganized behavior), negative (affective flattening, avolition, diminished interest, and social withdrawal), and cognitive symptoms [3]. Anti-psychotic medications acting on dopamine D2 receptor and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) 2A receptor are first-line treatments for patients with schizophrenia [7]
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