Diet's Role in Longevity: The Impact of Inflammatory Foods on Mortality
The connection between diet and inflammation is well-documented, particularly regarding chronic diseases like cancer and heart conditions. The research explored how diets that increase inflammation—measured by the dietary inflammatory index (DII)—affect overall mortality. Foods that promote inflammation were linked to higher risks of death, especially from cardiovascular disease and cancer, underscoring the importance of choosing anti-inflammatory foods for a healthier, longer life.
This study utilized food frequency questionnaires from Australian adults to analyze their diets over thirty years. It was found that individuals with diets highest in inflammatory potential had significantly greater risks of mortality. These findings highlight the need for dietary guidance that prioritizes anti-inflammatory foods as a strategy to reduce disease risk and promote longevity.
Promoting diets rich in anti-inflammatory foods could be a key strategy for enhancing public health and extending life expectancy. The study supports interventions that encourage dietary changes as a preventive measure against premature mortality, offering a practical approach to combating chronic disease through everyday food choices.
Article Information
Inflammatory potential of diet and mortality in Australian adults
Public Health Nutrition. Azam Majidi et al.
Abstract
Objective: Inflammation is implicated in chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which are major causes of mortality. Diet can influence inflammation status. We therefore examined whether the inflammatory potential of a person's diet is associated with mortality.
Design: Inflammatory potential of usual diet was assessed by calculating dietary inflammatory index (DII) scores from repeated food frequency (FFQ) data (collected in 1992, 1994, 1996), placing each participant's diet on a continuum from anti- to pro-inflammatory. DII scores were analysed as a continuous variable and as categories by creating quartile groups. Death registry data were used to ascertain all-cause mortality and separately mortality from CVD, cancers, and other causes between 1992-2022. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), comparing higher vs. lowest quartile groups, or HR change per one DII-unit increase.
Setting: Nambour, Australia.
Participants: A community-based sample of 1440 adults aged 25-75 years.
Results: During follow-up, 488 participants died, including 188 from CVD, 151 from cancer, and 170 from other causes. Participants in the most pro-inflammatory diet group were at increased risk of all-cause mortality (HRQ4vsQ1 = 1.55; 95% CI 1.19, 2.03; P trend < 0.001), and other-cause mortality (HRQ4vsQ1 = 1.69; 95% CI 1.12, 2.54; P trend 0.01). A one-unit increase in DII-score was associated with a 36% increased risk of CVD among those younger than 55 years of age (HR for a one-unit increase in DII score: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.78). The risk of cancer mortality was also increased for those with a more pro-inflammatory diet in age ≤55yr: HR for a one-unit increase in DII score: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.02-1.40, and age 56-65yr: HR for a one-unit increase in DII score: 1.11, 95 % CI: 1.00-1.23).
Conclusions: A pro-inflammatory diet increases the risk of all-cause mortality. Our results support promotion of anti-inflammatory diets to help promote longevity.
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