A low-inflammatory diet is associated with a lower incidence of diabetes

1. Consumption of a diet consisting of more foods with low inflammatory diet index (IDI) was associated with a decreased incidence of type 2 diabetes. 

Evidence Rating: 2 (Good)

Diabetes is highly prevalent globally, and is associated with a great burden of morbidity. Although dietary modifications remain a mainstay of both diabetes prevention and treatment, the effect of low-inflammatory diets on type 2 diabetes risk remains unclear. In this large population-based prospective study, researchers analyzed data from 502,507 adults living the United Kingdom. Participants were followed up for up to 15 years, and had their diabetes incidence correlated with an inflammatory diet index (IDI) based on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and was a weighted sum of 34 food groups (16 anti-inflammatory and 18 pro-inflammatory). Amongst 142,271 individuals in final analysis, it was found that at a follow up of 8.4 median years, type 2 diabetes risk was lower in participants with low IDI scores compared to those with high IDI scores for patients with both normoglycemia (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.71) and prediabetes (HR = 0.81). Diets with low or moderate IDI scores delayed type 2 diabetes onset by 2.20 and 1.07 years, respectively, compared to high IDI scores. Genetic predisposition significantly increased type 2 diabetes risk, and a low-inflammatory diet mitigated this risk. In summary, this is one of the first studies to suggest that in addition to glycemic control, inflammatory diets may also play a significant role in diabetes risk. Practitioners may use this information in the counseling of their patients for long term metabolic risk mitigation.

Click to read the study in BMC Medicine

Image: PD

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