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. 2017;21(5):487-491.
doi: 10.1007/s12603-016-0775-1.

Construct Validation of the Dietary Inflammatory Index among African Americans

M D Wirth  1 , N Shivappa, L Davis, T G Hurley, A Ortaglia, R Drayton, S N Blair, J R Hébert
Affiliations

Construct Validation of the Dietary Inflammatory Index among African Americans

M D Wirth et al. J Nutr Health Aging. 2017.

Abstract

Objective: Chronic inflammation is linked to many chronic conditions. One of the strongest modulators of chronic inflammation is diet. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) measures dietary inflammatory potential and has been validated previously, but not among African Americans (AAs).

Design: Cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from the Healthy Eating and Active Living in the Spirit (HEALS) intervention study.

Setting: Baseline data collection occurred between 2009 and 2012 in or near Columbia, SC.

Participants: African-American churchgoers.

Measurements: Baseline data collection included c-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 from blood draws, anthropometric measures, and numerous questionnaires. The questionnaires included a food frequency questionnaire which was used for DII calculation. The main analyses were performed using quantile regression.

Results: Subjects in the highest DII quartile (i.e., more pro-inflammatory) were younger, more likely to be married, and had less education and greater BMI. Individuals in DII quartile 4 had statistically significantly greater CRP at the 75th and 90th percentiles of CRP versus those in quartile 1 (i.e., more anti-inflammatory).

Conclusion: Construct validation provides support for using the DII in research among AA populations. Future research should explore avenues to promote more anti-inflammatory diets, with use of the DII, among AA populations to reduce risk of chronic disease.

Keywords: African Americans; Dietary inflammatory index; diet; inflammation; validation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Drs. Wirth, Shivappa, and Hébert were supported by grant number R44DK103377 from the United States National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The data collection was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) [R24 MD002769]. The funders had no involvement in the design of the study, data collection, statistical analyses, or drafting of this manuscript. Dr. Hébert owns controlling interest in Connecting Health Innovations LLC (CHI), a company planning to license the right to his invention of the dietary inflammatory index (DII) from the University of South Carolina in order to develop computer and smart phone applications for patient counseling and dietary intervention in clinical settings. Drs. Michael Wirth and Nitin Shivappa are employees of CHI. Steven N. Blair has served on the scientific advisory boards of Technogym, Clarity, Cancer Foundation for Life, and Santech. He has received research funding from BodyMedia, Technogym, The Coca-Cola Company, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Institutes of Health. He receives book royalties from Human Kinetics.

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