Changes in Eating Behaviors during the COVID-19 Lockdown and the Impact on the Potential Inflammatory Effects of Diet

This cross-sectional study compares eating behaviors before and during the COVID-19 lockdown that was decreed in Spain on 14 March 2020.

The sample was made up of 1177 people aged 18 years or older who responded during the month of June 2020 to a questionnaire designed in Google Forms. Information was collected on the frequency of food consumption before and during lockdown. A dietary inflammatory index (DII) was created with positive or negative values depending on the inflammatory potential of different foods, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, meat, fish, eggs, yogurt, milk, cheese, industrial pastries, salty snacks, fast food, and soft drinks. The scores from before and during confinement were compared.

Most of the people in the sample maintained their eating pattern during lockdown. Among those who changed, the majority increased their consumption of healthy foods, which resulted in a decrease in the inflammatory potential of the diet; this was particularly the case in men.

The improvement in the quality of the diet contributed to a significant decrease in DII during confinement, especially in men.