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. 2022 Aug;31(4):e13543.
doi: 10.1111/jsr.13543. Epub 2021 Dec 29.

Longitudinal and cross-sectional associations between the dietary inflammatory index and objectively and subjectively measured sleep among police officers

Michael D Wirth  1   2   3 , Desta Fekedulegn  4 , Michael E Andrew  4 , Alexander C McLain  2 , James B Burch  2   5   6 , Jean E Davis  1 , James R Hébert  2   3 , John M Violanti  7
Affiliations

Longitudinal and cross-sectional associations between the dietary inflammatory index and objectively and subjectively measured sleep among police officers

Michael D Wirth et al. J Sleep Res. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Police officers experience exposures associated with increased inflammation, such as the stress associated with shiftwork and poor-quality diet, both of which have been shown to affect sleep duration and quality. This study examined the longitudinal and cross-sectional effects of the Energy-density Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII™) on objectively and subjectively measured sleep among police officers. Data were derived from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress Cohort (n = 464 at baseline), with longitudinal data collected from 2004 to 2019. A food frequency questionnaire obtained estimated dietary intake from which E-DII scores were calculated. Dependent variables were objectively (Micro Motion Logger Sleep Watch™) and subjectively (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) measured sleep quality and quantity. The analyses included a series of linear mixed-effects models used to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the E-DII and sleep quantity and quality. Cross-sectionally, more pro-inflammatory diets were associated with higher wake-after-sleep-onset but improved subjective sleep quality. In models accounting for both longitudinal and cross-sectional effects, for every 1-unit increase in the E-DII scores over time (representing a pro-inflammatory change), wake-after-sleep-onset increased by nearly 1.4 min (p = 0.07). This result was driven by officers who primarily worked day shifts (β = 3.33, p = 0.01). Conversely, for every 1-unit increase in E-DII score, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index global score improved. More pro-inflammatory diets were associated with increased wake-after-sleep-onset, an objective measure of sleep quality. Intervention studies to reduce dietary inflammatory potential may provide greater magnitude of effect for changes in sleep quality.

Keywords: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; diet; inflammation; shiftwork; sleep duration; sleep quality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure

Dr. James Hébert owns controlling interest in Connecting Health Innovations LLC (CHI), a company licensing 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. In addition to their University of South Carolina appointments, Dr. Michael Wirth was an employee of CHI. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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