The relationship between dietary inflammatory index and abdominal obesity in adolescents

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and abdominal obesity by evaluating the food consumption of adolescents. The study was conducted in 2025 with 386 adolescents (197 females, 189 males) aged 12-16 years attending state and private schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Central Kayseri. The sociodemographic characteristics and dietary habits of the individuals were obtained through a questionnaire, anthropometric measurements were taken, and their physical activity levels were assessed using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQC). The Body Mass Index (BMI) Z-score data of the adolescents were classified according to WHO AnthroPlus. In addition, DII values were examined from 24-hour dietary records, and DII scores and differences between tertiles were determined for all parameters. According to BMI Z-score classification, 18% of males and 7.6% of females among adolescents with a mean age of 13.5±1.2 years were obese. Insufficient intake of riboflavin, folic acid, calcium (Ca), vitamin D and selenium (Se) was determined in both genders, while insufficient intake of omega-6, vitamin E in males, and vitamin B6, iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) in females was determined. The median DII score for adolescents was 5.0 (1.2-7.7) (minimum-11.7", maximum +12.8"). 81.1% of participants had a pro-inflammatory diet profile, while 18.9% had an anti-inflammatory diet profile (p>0.05). However, no significant differences were found between DII tertiles in terms of body weight, height, BMI values, body fat percentages, and physical activity levels (p>0.05). There was a positive correlation between DII score and body fat percentage (B=0.410; 95% CI: 0.232–0.589; p <0.001), and a negative significant relationship between physical activity score and DII (B = −1.562; 95% CI: −2.642 – −0.481; p = 0.005). In conclusion, no significant relationship was found between DII scores and anthropometric measurements or physical activity levels among adolescents. However, the multiple regression analysis revealed that high DII scores increased body fat percentage. Therefore, it is thought that meeting adolescents' needs adequately and consuming an anti-inflammatory diet may contribute to reducing the inflammatory load of the diet, ensuring healthy growth and development, and preventing chronic diseases.