The Effect of Nutritional Education on Inflammatory Markers and the Index of Diet Quality in Obese Women

Obesity is a low grade inflammatory condition. It seems that there is an association between diet quality and inflammatory markers. Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is one of the important tools to assess diet quality. In this study, we assessed the effect of improving HEI score through nutritional education on serum levels of inflammatory markers in obese women. This study was a randomized clinical trial on sixty obese women who were assigned to educated and non-educated groups. Three months of nutritional education, one session in a week, was conducted for education group. The HEI scores of diet for seven days were recorded. Then, the concentrations of inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, TNF-α) and the anthropometric indexes were assessed at the baseline and at the end of the study in both groups. After adjustment for energy intake, weight and age, the HEI score of educated group improved significantly. Prior to receiving education, the HEI mean score was in need of improvement (60.58±6.31) in the educated group. Throughout education it improved to a good level (83.34±5.12). After adjustment for energy intake, weight and age, the plasma levels of hs-CRP, TNF-α significantly decreased (all p values were <0.05). It seems that the quality of diet could be an independent factor in preventing chronic diseases through improving inflammatory condition.