Photo Credit: Dr Microbe

The following is a summary of “Dietary Inflammatory Index and diabetic retinopathy risk in US adults: findings from NHANES (2005–2008),” published in the January 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Liu et al.

Inflammation plays a crucial role in diabetic retinopathy (DR) development, and the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) helps assess dietary patterns’ inflammatory potential, potentially impacting DR risk.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the correlation between the DII and DR utilizing the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

They enrolled 1,148 diabetes patients from the 2005–2008 NHANES surveys, utilizing twenty-four-hour dietary data to compute DII scores. Demographic details and retinal examinations were gathered to contrast DR and non-DR groups within the diabetic cohort. The association between DII and DR was examined using a logistic regression model.

The result showed that 227 subjects (110 non-DR and 117 DR) were included, with the sample size balanced using undersampling. Compared to the non-DR group, the DR group exhibited higher DII values (1.14 ± 0.29 vs 1.49 ± 0.21, P=0.32), elevated levels of HbA1c (6.8 ± 1.1% vs 7.7 ± 2.6%, P<0.001), and longer duration of diabetes (6.52 ± 12 years vs 14 ± 11 years, P<0.001). The OR of DII for DR from logistic regression was 1.38 (95% CI 1.06–1.81, P<0.001). HbA1c, diabetes duration, and obesity emerged as significant influencing factors, with respective ORs of 1.81 (95% CI: 1.31–2.50), 1.12 (95% CI: 1.04–1.20), and 4.01 (95% CI: 1.12–14.32). Primary dietary indices associated with DR differed between males and females.

Investigators concluded that pro-inflammatory diets, as measured by higher DII, increase DR risk in US adults, suggesting dietary changes could be a cost-effective approach for DR management.

Source: bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-024-03303-1