Abstract
BACKGROUND: In this study, we explored the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and gastric cancer risk in an Italian case-control study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases were 230 patients with incident, histologically confirmed cases of gastric cancer from the Greater Milan area, Northern Italy. Controls were 547 frequency-matched subjects admitted to the same network of hospitals as cases for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic conditions. The DII was computed using a reproducible and valid 78-item food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated through logistic regression models conditioned on age and sex and adjusted for recognized confounding factors, including total energy intake. RESULTS: Subjects with the most pro-inflammatory diet had a higher risk of gastric cancer compared to subjects with the most anti-inflammatory diet (OR(Quartile4vs1) = 2.35, 95% confidence interval, 1.32, 4.20; P-trend = 0.004). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that a pro-inflammatory diet, as indicated by higher DII score, was associated with increased risk of gastric cancer.