Relationship Between Dietary Inflammatory Index, Diets, and Cardiovascular Medication.

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Cardiovascular Health
• Inflammation Biology

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CV) are a major global health concern.
• Diet and systemic inflammation significantly influence CV disease risk.
• Healthy dietary patterns like Mediterranean (MED), DASH, and Anti-inflammatory (AnMED) diets show potential in reducing CV risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between adherence to healthy dietary patterns and cardiovascular (CV) treatments.
• To assess the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and medication use.
• To explore the impact of specific diets on nutrient intake and CV health.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study in the Valencian Community, Spain.
• Food frequency questionnaire used to assess adherence to MED, DASH, and AnMED diets.
• Statistical analyses included Kruskal-Wallis tests and linear regression models to evaluate DII, nutrient intake, and medication use.

Main Results:

• Higher DII scores correlated with increased antihypertensive medication use (p < 0.001).
• The AnMED diet showed the strongest association with lower DII scores (p-adjust < 0.001).
• Predictive modeling indicated a 14.28% increase in antihypertensive use per unit rise in DII. The AnMED diet was linked to improved micronutrient intake.

Conclusions:

• The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) effectively assesses dietary inflammatory potential.
• Lower DII diets, such as the AnMED diet, may reduce systemic inflammation and improve CV health.
• Adherence to the AnMED diet could lower blood pressure and decrease antihypertensive medication reliance, supporting CV disease prevention.