Is Your Diet to Blame? Unveiling the Role of Dietary Inflammatory Index in Lipid Accumulation Product Index and Visceral Adiposity Index in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Aim: The present study sought to examine how the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) is related to different adiposity indices in women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Material and Methods: The study enrolled sixty-two women aged 18 - 44 years who applied to a PCOS outpatient clinic in Istanbul. Sociodemographic data, anthropometric measurements, 3-day food records for calculating DII, and retrospective data on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and triglyceride (TG) for adiposity indices were collected. Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) and Lipid Accumulation Product (LAP) were computed based on the obtained anthropometric data and specified blood parameters. Since the data were divided into low and high DII groups, the Mann-Whitney U test was employed based on the statistical distribution to evaluate group differences between continuous variables. Results: The mean age of women was 26.3 ± 6.1 years, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25.1 ± 5.9 kg/m², and 35.5% were overweight or obese. The median DII value was 1.5. Although women with high DII had higher VAI and LAP values, the difference was not statistically significant. Additionally, women with high DII had significantly reduced dietary intakes of protein, total fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), vitamins A, K, and B vitamins (except B12), vitamin C, iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, and magnesium. Conclusion: These findings suggest that diet-induced inflammation may contribute to metabolic disturbances in PCOS, emphasizing the importance of anti-inflammatory dietary approaches in managing the condition.