Exploring the association between pro-inflammatory diets and chronic liver diseases: evidence from the UK Biobank

Chronic liver diseases (CLD) continue to pose a significant global burden, potentially exacerbated by pro-inflammatory diets. This study explores the relationship between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), a measure of dietary inflammatory potential, and CLD risk.

Utilizing data from the UK Biobank cohort, we assessed the dietary information and calculated the DII for each participant. Cox proportional hazards models and Fine-Gray competing risk models were employed to evaluate the association between DII and CLD incidence, adjusting for potential confounders.

Our analysis included 121,329 participants with a median follow-up of 604.43 weeks, during which 4,018 developed CLD. A higher DII, indicating a more inflammatory diet, was associated with a 16% increased risk of CLD [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.162, P = 0.001], with each unit increase in DII elevating the risk by 3.3% (HR: 1.033, P < 0.001). A significant linear association between DII and CLD was observed. Competing risk analyses, which accounted for cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death, supported these findings. Subgroup analyses confirmed the robustness of the DII's association across various demographic and lifestyle factors. Moreover, a higher DII was positively associated with the progression of CLD to cirrhosis. Sensitivity analyses, including energy-adjusted DII and typical dietary DII, reinforced our results. Additionally, adherence to anti-inflammatory dietary patterns, as indicated by higher Healthy Eating Index 2020 and Mediterranean Diet Score values, was inversely associated with CLD risk.

Our study highlights the potential benefits of adopting anti-inflammatory diets as a strategy for the prevention and management of CLD. Comprehensive dietary interventions may play a pivotal role in mitigating the global burden of CLD.