Association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and telomere length and C-reactive protein from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey-1999-2002.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional analysis of NHANES survey data
PubMed 27878970 · doi:10.1002/mnfr.201600630
What was done
Researchers evaluated the association between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and leukocyte telomere length (LTL), as well as C-reactive protein (CRP), using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2002. DII was calculated from 24-hour dietary recalls and scaled per 1,000 calories consumed. LTL was measured from leukocyte DNA, and CRP was measured from serum. Survey-weighted multivariable linear regression models were applied to assess associations with log-transformed LTL.
What was found
After multivariable adjustment, higher (more pro-inflammatory) DII scores were significantly associated with shorter LTL continuously (b = -0.003; 95% CI, -0.005 to -0.0002) and across quartiles (quartile 4 vs. quartile 1: b = -0.013; 95% CI, -0.025 to -0.001; P-trend = 0.03). Continuous DII was also associated with elevated CRP (CRP >= 3 mg/L; OR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.16).
Why it matters
This study provides population-level evidence linking pro-inflammatory dietary patterns with accelerated biological aging markers and validates the DII using objective inflammatory markers in a nationally representative sample.
Limits
The cross-sectional design cannot establish temporality or causality between diet and telomere shortening. The abstract does not report the total participant sample size. Diet was evaluated via 24-hour recalls, which are prone to measurement error and recall bias, and unmeasured residual confounding may remain.
Cited by
- supports Consumption of pro-inflammatory foods such as red meat, processed meat, and sugary drinks is associated with shorter telomeres.