Dietary Inflammatory Index Scores and C-Reactive Protein Concentrations among Older Adults

Background: The dietary inflammatory index (DII) is a literature-derived population based index that has been devised to assess the inflammatory potential of one's diet. It has been previously validated in young and middle aged cohorts in the United States, Australia, and Netherlands. Objective: To assess whether the DII is associated with serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) among older adults. Design/Methods: A cross-sectional examination within the Memory and Aging Project of adults aged 蠅65 years. Further testing of the DII was performed among 376 older adults using dietary data from a 144-item food frequency questionnaire. Serum concentrations of hsCRP were measured using Multiplex ELISA arrays. Logistic regression analyses were performed for hsCRP (>3 mg/L) and DII scores while controlling for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and smoking history. Results: Calculated DII scores ranged from -5.09, reflective of a strongly anti-inflammatory diet, to +4.72, indicating a pr...