Association between inflammatory potential of diet and odds of gestational diabetes mellitus among Iranian women

Abstract

Background: The possible relationship between diet-related inflammation and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) requires further investigation, especially in non-Western populations. We examined the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) scores and GDM in a case-control study conducted in Iran.

Methods: This study included 122 GDM cases and 266 controls hospitalized for acute non-neoplastic diseases. Cases were pregnant women aged 18–40 years, who visited major general hospitals in different regions of Tehran. Pregnant women were screened for gestational diabetes between the 24th and 28th week of gestation with a 50-g, 1-hour glucose challenge test (GCT). Cases were diagnosed positive for GDM. Controls were pregnant women who had normal GCT test. DII scores were computed from dietary intake assessed by a previously validated 147-item food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models adjusted age, gestational age, energy, exercise, BMI, smoking exposure, family history of diabetes, and history of multivitamin intake were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: Subjects with higher DII scores (i.e. indicating a more proinflammatory diet) had a higher odd of GDM with the DII being used as both a continuous (OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 0.94–1.54) and as categorical (OR_{tertile 3vs1} = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.02–4.34, p-trend = .03).

Conclusions: These results indicate that a proinflammatory diet, as evidenced by higher DII scores, is associated with increased odds of GDM among Iranian women.

Keywords:

• Dietary inflammatory index
• gestational diabetes mellitus
• Iran

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to all field investigators, staff, and participants of the present study. This study was supported by a grant from National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. N. Shivappa and J.R. Hébert were supported by grant number R44DK103377 from the USA, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Disclosure statement

James R. Hébert owns the controlling interest in Connecting Health Innovations LLC (CHI), and Company planning to license the right to his invention of the dietary inflammatory index (DII) from the University of South Carolina in order to develop computer and smartphone applications for patient counseling and dietary intervention in clinical settings. Nitin Shivappa is an employee of CHI. The subject matter of this paper will have no direct bearing on the work of CHI, nor has any CHI-related activity exerted any influence on this project.