Abstract
BACKGROUND: The etiopathogenesis of IBD is not fully known; however, both genetic and environmental risk factors, including diet, are contributors to the disease. The present study aimed to determine the effect of dietary inflammatory potential, assessed using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), on disease activity and inflammatory markers, such as IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-10, in patients with IBD. METHODS: The study enrolled 90 patients with IBD. Dietary intake was assessed based on a 24 h questionnaire interview conducted in each subject three times. Based on these data, the DII for each subject was calculated. The serum levels of IL-6, IL-1 β, and IL-10 were determined with the quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The mean DII value was -0.39 ± 0.52 and did not differ significantly between the groups with CD and UC (-0.42 ± 0.47 vs. -0.37 ± 0.54, p = 0.6452, respectively); however, it was remarkably lower among patients in remission and with mild disease compared to those in the active phase of the disease (-0.45 ± 0.61 vs. -0.23 ± 0.65, p = 0.0217). Considering the DII tertiles, the subjects differed significantly in terms of age and disease activity. Logistic regression analysis of disease severity and DII in the crude model revealed that the probability of severe disease in IBD patients increased with higher DII scores. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study revealed a significant association between pro-inflammatory diet and IBD severity, which indicates a need to formulate an anti-inflammatory diet to reduce disease severity in patients with CD and UC.