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. 2025 Apr 19;64(4):160.
doi: 10.1007/s00394-025-03677-y.

Exploring the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and different types of skin cancer: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 1999-2018

Dongfan Wei  1 , Wen Xu  1 , Xiuzu Song  2
Affiliations

Exploring the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and different types of skin cancer: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 1999-2018

Dongfan Wei et al. Eur J Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: The potential role of diet-related inflammatory responses in skin carcinogenesis is gaining increasing recognition. This study investigated the association between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and different types of skin cancer in the United States general population.

Methods: The study analyzed cross-sectional data on 45,409 participants in the 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The association between the DII and different types of skin cancer was estimated using weighted multivariable logistic regression, and its non-linearity was examined using restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression. Subgroup analyses were stratified by age, sex, race, body mass index, hypertension status, diabetes status, and frequency of skin-protecting behaviors.

Results: The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for melanoma were 1.54 (1.02-2.35), 1.67 (1.02-2.73), and 1.55 (0.86-2.80) for the second, third, and fourth DII quartiles, respectively, compared with the first quartile. The adjusted ORs with 95% CIs for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) were 0.90 (0.68-1.19), 0.96 (0.69-1.35), and 1.01 (0.70-1.45) for the second, third, and fourth DII quartiles, respectively, compared with the first quartile. The RCS curves showed no overall or non-linear significant association between DII and melanoma prevalence (P = 0.240, Pnon-linearity = 0.144) or NMSC (P = 0.068, Pnon-linearity = 0.410).

Conclusion: This study suggests that Compared with participants in DII quartile 1, those in DII quartiles 2 and 3 had a significantly increased risk of melanoma, whereas those in quartile 4 did not. These findings underscore the potential role of dietary inflammation in melanoma etiology and highlight the importance of further research to better understand and mitigate this risk factor.

Keywords: Cross-sectional study; Dietary inflammatory index; Melanoma; National health and nutrition examination survey; Non-melanoma skin cancer; Skin cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethical approval: This investigation constitutes a composite analysis of data derived from a public research database. It’s worth noting that requisite participants informed consents and ethical review approvals were previously secured and are extant within the framework of the individual original studies that contributed the data. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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