The Relationship between Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern with Anthropometric Measures in Women with Overweight and Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study

The increasing trend of obesity prevalence is a serious health warning for people worldwide. Evaluation of anthropometric measures is essential for explaining individual’s health status. Studies have investigated the effect of diet on inflammation. Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) was recently developed to empirically create a score for overall inflammatory potential of diet. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between EDIP with anthropometric measures in women with overweight and obesity.

In a cross-sectional study, the EDIP score was calculated for 301 participants from their food frequency questionnaire, who referred to health centers in Tehran, Iran in 2018. Anthropometric measures was assessed through multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer.

49% (95% CI: 40.8 - 57.2) had positive EDIP score. A significant relationship was found between EDIP quartiles with weight (P=0.004), BMI (P=0.012), FM (P=0.013), WC (P=0.003) and WHR (P=0.031). Those individuals in the lowest group of EDIP score had significantly lower weight, Body Mass Index, Fat Mass, Waist Circumference and Waist to Hip Ratio, compared to those with highest inflammation score.

A significant relationship was found between EDIP with anthropometric measures in women with overweight and obesity, supporting the hypothesis that an anti-inflammatory diet is associated with decreasing trend of weight, Body Mass Index, Fat Mass, Waist Circumference and Waist to Hip Ratio.