High Dietary Inflammatory Index Tied to Increased Prevalence of Eczema

TUESDAY, July 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A high dietary inflammatory index (DII), which quantifies the inflammatory potential of diet, is associated with increased prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD), according to a study published online June 19 in Frontiers of Immunology.

Kaiyue Tan, from The First Clinical College of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Jinan, China, and colleagues examined the association between DII quartiles and AD risk using large-scale population-based cross-sectional data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017 to 2023.

The researchers observed a significant association for higher DII scores with AD prevalence. Compared with those in the lowest quartile, participants in the highest DII quartile had a significantly increased risk for AD (adjusted odds ratio, 1.73), and there was a significant sex interaction noted, with stronger associations seen in the female group. A possible linear association was observed between DII and AD risk in a restricted cubic spline analysis.

“This study demonstrated for the first time in an Asian population that high DII is positively associated with AD risk, and the effect was more pronounced in women and those ≤54 years of age,” the authors write. “Future validation of associations through repeated dietary measurements, inclusion of omitted anti-inflammatory components, and prospective designs is warranted.”

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