Association between Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and sarcopenia in ischemic heart disease: an 1999-2004 NHANES study of 1088 US individuals

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between DII and sarcopenia in individuals with ischemic heart disease (IHD). This was a retrospective study utilizing data of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2004. Adults aged ≥50 years diagnosed with IHD, having complete 24-hour dietary recall data, and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)-measured muscle mass were eligible for inclusion. Association between DII and sarcopenia, defined by reduced appendicular skeletal muscle mass, was determined by the logistic regression analyses. Data of 1088 individuals were analyzed, with the mean age of 68.1±0.5 years. Significantly higher DII was observed in the sarcopenic group compared to the non-sarcopenic group (0.24 vs. -0.17, P=0.020). After adjusting for relevant confounders in the multivariable analysis, each unit increase in DII was significantly associated with higher odds of sarcopenia (adjusted odd ratio [aOR]=1.07, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.14, P value = 0.040). In stratified analyses, among patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2, both DII tertile 2 and tertile 3 were significantly associated with greater odds of sarcopenia (tertile 2 vs. tertile 1: aOR=2.85, 95% CI: 1.56-5.23, P=0.001; tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: aOR=3.11, 95% CI: 1.53-6.31, P=0.002), whereas no significant associations was observed among patients with a BMI<30 kg/m2. This study has established a significant independent association between a higher DII and an increased risk of sarcopenia in US adults with IHD regardless of type of IHD. BMI appears as a moderating factor in this association.