Scientific Reports · Oct 20, 2026
Dietary inflammatory index in relation to metabolic health status, serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and adropin in Iranian adults
By Moradmand Z, Shahdadian F, Rouhani P et al.
There was little evidence for the association of dietary inflammatory index (DII) and metabolic health status, and no evidence on DII and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and adropin. Thus, this study assessed the association between DII and metabolic unhealthy (MU), regarding the interactive roles of BDNF and adropin in Iranian adults. This observational study was conducted on 527 Iranian men and women living in Isfahan. Dietary intakes and DII were estimated by using a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric, blood pressure, and biochemical parameters were assessed using appropriate standard methods. The criteria defined by Wildman et al. were used to classify individuals into participants with and without MU. Mean age of participants was 42.66 years, and 224 of them (42.50%) were recognized as participants with MU. In the fully adjusted model, no significant association was observed between DII score and MU in the overall population or in normal-weight individuals; however, among participants with overweight or obesity, those in the third tertile of DII had significantly higher odds of MU compared with the first tertile (OR = 2.76; 95% CI: 1.16, 6.57). Furthermore, a positive association was found between DII tertiles and hyperglycemia (OR T3 vs. T1 = 3.41; 95% CI: 1.43, 8.17) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR T3 vs. T1 = 2.13; 95% CI: 1.06, 4.28). A nonsignificant association was observed between DII, BDNF, and adropin ( P > 0.05). In this adult population, a higher DII score was associated with a higher probability of MU in individuals with obesity or overweight. A higher DII score was associated with hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia. No other remarkable association was found in the subgroup analysis or between DII score and BDNF, or adropin.