Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation is a contributing factor to the onset and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). In our study, we aimed to explore the correlation between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) score and CAD severity. METHODS: A case‒control study was performed comprising 214 patients exhibiting stable angina and a comparison group of 214 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate dietary intake, and coronary severity was determined by the Gensini score. RESULTS: Participants with DIIs in the highest tertile had a greater propensity for CAD than those with DIIs in the lowest tertile, with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.50 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.79-6.85). After accounting for potential confounding factors, individuals in the highest DII tertile demonstrated an increased likelihood of severe CAD compared with those in the lowest tertile, with an OR of 4.09 (95% CI: 1.80-9.28, P trend = 0.001). Additionally, the propensity for severe coronary lesions increased linearly with increasing DII (P overall = 0.003, P nonlinear = 0.150). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that higher DIIs are related to an elevated likelihood and severity of CAD. Taken together, these findings suggest that an anti-inflammatory diet may be beneficial in managing CAD. However, well-designed prospective studies in different populations are still needed to validate these findings and explore the potential causal relationship between dietary inflammation and CAD.