Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Mar 7:2025:9253956.
doi: 10.1155/bn/9253956. eCollection 2025.

Association Between Dietary Inflammatory Index and Depression Symptoms in Chronic Kidney Disease

Rui Huang  1 , Qixia Zhu  2
Affiliations

Association Between Dietary Inflammatory Index and Depression Symptoms in Chronic Kidney Disease

Rui Huang et al. Behav Neurol. .

Abstract

Objective: The study is aimed at investigating the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) score and depression symptoms in chronic kidney disease (CKD), exploring its potential role as an indicator of depression risk and offering new insights into dietary interventions for this vulnerable population. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional investigation included CKD patients aged ≥ 18 in the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was administered to evaluate depression symptoms. Dietary information was obtained from a 24-h dietary recall interview. The relationship between DII and depression was explored through weighted univariate and multivariate logistic regression models, adjusting for relevant covariates identified via backward selection. Results were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). To further investigate the association, restricted cubic spline (RCS) and subgroup analyses were conducted. Results: Totally, 489 (11.55%) patients with CKD had depression symptoms. A high DII score was linked to elevated depression symptoms incidence in CKD (OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.06-2.65). Adjusting all covariates, the relationship between DII score and depression symptoms still existed in patients aged ≥ 60 years (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.16-2.79), males (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.16-3.59), smokers (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.06-2.75), and those without sleep disorders (OR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.01-3.23). Conclusion: DII score was associated with depression symptoms in patients with CKD. The findings suggest that diet plays a role in mental health, particularly in chronic conditions like CKD. The results underscore the importance of exploring anti-inflammatory dietary interventions to mitigate depression symptoms in this population. Further longitudinal research is necessary to establish causality and determine the efficacy of targeted dietary modifications in CKD patients with depression. Limitations: As a cross-sectional study, causality cannot be inferred from these findings. Additionally, the reliance on self-reported dietary data may introduce bias, and unmeasured confounders could influence the observed associations.

Keywords: NHANES; chronic kidney disease; depression; dietary inflammatory index.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flow chart of included chronic kidney disease patients.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The mean DII score in patients with and without depression.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The relationship of DII score with depression symptoms in all chronic kidney disease patients.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The proportion of patients with depression in different subgroups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Kovesdy C. P. Epidemiology of chronic kidney disease: an update 2022. Kidney International Supplements . 2022;12(1):7–11. doi: 10.1016/j.kisu.2021.11.003. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bahall M., Legall G., Lalla C. Depression among patients with chronic kidney disease, associated factors, and predictors: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry . 2023;23(1):p. 733. doi: 10.1186/s12888-023-05249-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu M., Zhang Y., Yang S., et al. Bidirectional relations between depression symptoms and chronic kidney disease. Journal of Affective Disorders . 2022;311:224–230. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.104. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Palmer S., Vecchio M., Craig J. C., et al. Prevalence of depression in chronic kidney disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Kidney International . 2013;84(1):179–191. doi: 10.1038/ki.2013.77. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adejumo O. A., Edeki I. R., Sunday Oyedepo D., et al. Global prevalence of depression in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Nephrology . 2024;37(9):2455–2472. doi: 10.1007/s40620-024-01998-5. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources