Key result
Higher dietary inflammatory index is linked to increased odds of high blood pressure in youth.
Why the study?
Emerging evidence suggests that the dietary inflammatory index (DII) may influence cardiovascular health in children, but the association between DII and high blood pressure (BP) remains inconsistent.
Is a higher dietary inflammatory index associated with increased odds of high blood pressure in children and adolescents?
Meta-Analysis (n=56,741)
Is a higher dietary inflammatory index associated with increased odds of high blood pressure in children and adolescents?
A higher dietary inflammatory index is associated with 33% higher odds of high blood pressure in children and adolescents, though the evidence is limited by cross-sectional study designs and sensitivity to individual study exclusions.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Cautions against practice change from cross-sectional data; leaves open prospective confirmation of dietary inflammation effects on youth BP.
Background Emerging evidence suggests that the dietary inflammatory index (DII) may influence cardiovascular health in children, but the association between DII and high blood pressure (BP) remains inconsistent. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between DII and high BP in children and adolescents. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched from inception to June 12, 2026. Observational studies evaluating the association between DII and high BP in individuals < 18 years were included. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects models accounting for the influence of potential heterogeneity. Results Six cross-sectional studies comprising 56,741 children and adolescents (nine independent datasets) were included. Overall, a high DII was significantly associated with increased odds of high BP (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.70; p = 0.02), with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 65%). Leave-one-study-out sensitivity analyses yielded pooled ORs ranging from 1.23 to 1.46. However, the association was no longer statistically significant after excluding certain individual studies, indicating that the pooled finding was sensitive to study exclusion. Subgroup analyses showed no statistically detectable differences across geographic region, mean age, sex, DII cutoff values, BMI adjustment, or study quality (all p for subgroup differences > 0.05). Univariate meta-regression identified study quality (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score) as the only significant moderator, with higher-quality studies showing a weaker association (coefficient = -0.12, 95% CI: -0.23 to -0.01; p = 0.04). Conclusions Higher dietary inflammatory potential may be associated with increased odds of high BP in children and adolescents. The evidence remains uncertain because all studies were cross-sectional, outcome definitions varied, and study-level sensitivity analyses showed instability.
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Liu et al. (2026) conducted a meta-analysis in High blood pressure in children and adolescents (n=56,741). High dietary inflammatory index (DII) vs. Low dietary inflammatory index (DII) was evaluated on High blood pressure (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.70, p=0.02). High dietary inflammatory index was associated with increased odds of high blood pressure in children and adolescents.
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