The Association of Dietary Inflammatory Index with Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Quality among Physically Active Adults

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

2 Department of Biostatics and Public Health, Faculty of Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

10.30476/ijns.2025.103417.1332

Abstract

Background: Limited data are available on association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and mental health. So we evaluated the association between DII and risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep quality in physically active adults.
Methods: A total of 750 Iranian physically active adults were included in a cross-sectional study through stratified cluster sampling method. Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to evaluate dietary intake and to calculate DII scores. Pittsburg sleep quality index was used to assess sleep quality. Depression and anxiety were assessed by the Beck inventory measure. Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (95%CIs) were estimated for depression, anxiety and sleep quality in relation to DII tertiles.
Results: After adjustment for energy, age, gender, marital status, and BMI, there was a significant association between a lower DII and an enhanced sleep quality (adjusted model: OR: 1.78; 95%CI: 1.24-2.57; p<0.002). However, no significant association was found between DII and odds of depression or anxiety.
Conclusion: Our review suggested a direct association between DII and the elevated risk of sleep disturbances among a group of physically active Iranian adults. No such an association was found for the risk of depression and anxiety. Further prospective studies help expanding current knowledge in this issue.

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