Investigating the dietary inflammatory index and pro-inflammatory immune dynamics: insights from a cross-sectional study of severe vs. non-severe coronary artery disease patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent research highlights the important role of inflammation in coronary artery disease (CAD). The current study investigates the association between dietary inflammatory potential, evaluated using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), and pro-inflammatory immune dynamics, quantified by the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), in patients undergoing elective angiography.

METHODS

A variety of data, including demographic, clinical, biochemical, echocardiographic, and angiographic information, were collected from the Nutrition Heshmat Registry (NUTHER) located in Guilan province, Iran. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to collect dietary intake data. This study assessed a total of 1,015 individuals who were classified according to the severity of CAD using the Gensini score to differentiate between severe cases (with a score of 60 or more) and non-severe cases. We employed logistic regression models to assess the association between DII and NLR quartiles and the risk of severe CAD.

RESULTS

After adjusting for various confounding factors, the results indicated a significant increase in severe CAD risk for higher DII quartiles, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.52 [95%CI (1.05-2.22)] and 1.48 [95%CI (1.01-2.16)] for the 3rd and 4th quartiles (most pro-inflammatory), respectively (P for trend: 0.034) as compared to 1st quartile (most anti-inflammatory). Elevated NLR values were associated with increased CAD risk, with ORs of 1.57 [95%CI (1.09-2.25)] and 2.59 [95%CI (1.80-3.71)] for the third and highest quartiles (P for trend < 0.001). Mediation analysis showed that NLR mediated 24.7% [95%CI (15.2%-98.3%)] of the total effect of DII on severe CAD. Non-linear dose-response analysis further demonstrated a persistent risk of severe CAD as DII and NLR levels increased (P for overall trend ≤ 0.003; P for non-linearity ≤ 0.026).

CONCLUSION

These findings underscore the potential of dietary modifications to influence systemic inflammation and reduce CAD progression.