The relationship between nutritional status and alcohol consumption with the dietary inflammatory index in adults living in Bakü

The relationship between alcohol consumption and health or disease outcomes has been a subject of ongoing debate for many years. In contrast, studies examining the association between diet and inflammation consistently highlight the significant impact of dietary factors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nutritional status and alcohol consumption with the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) among adults aged 19–64 years living in Baku. Designed as a correlational descriptive study, data were collected through face-to-face and online surveys. DII scores were calculated based on 24-hour dietary recall records and evaluated by dividing the scores into quartiles. A total of 401 participants (209 men, 192 women) with a mean age of 34.19 ± 10.18 years were included in the study. Among them, 226 individuals (56.4%) reported alcohol consumption, while 175 (43.6%) did not. The body mass index (BMI) of alcohol consumers was 25.10±3.03, and that of non-consumers was 24.95±4.13. There was no significant difference in the self-reported nutritional status between alcohol consumers and non-consumers (p>0.05). The intake levels of niacin, vitamin B6, and Omega-3, fatty acids were significantly higher among alcohol consumers (p<0.01). No significant differences were found in the intake of other nutrients based on alcohol consumption status (p>0.05). The mean DII score of alcohol consumers and non-consumers was 1.68±0.80 and 1.82±0.81, respectively (p>0.05). Quartile-based (Q1–Q4) analyses revealed statistically significant differences among eight groups (p<0.001). Significant negative linear correlations were observed between DII scores and energy, macro and micronutrients (r = -0.5 to -0.7; p<0.001). A strong inverse relationship was found between DII and intake of vitamin B1, vitamin B6, magnesium and iron (r = -0.7; p<0.001). Analyses by DII quartiles revealed significant differences in anti-inflammatory nutrients such as dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fats, vitamin E, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, magnesium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. Medium effect sizes were observed for food groups such as dairy products, meat and meat products, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and fats (ƞ² = 0.06–0.10). Multiple comparisons between groups showed that differences in food consumption were particularly significant between alcohol consumers with low DII scores (Q1 ≤ 1.18) and non-consumers with high DII scores (Q4 ≥ 2.35) (p<0.01). The study highlights the importance of carefully considering alcohol consumption in dietary approaches aimed at reducing inflammation. These findings may contribute to the growing body of literature exploring the interrelationships among nutritional status, dietary inflammatory profiles, and alcohol consumption. Keywords: Nutritional Status; Alcohol Consumption; Diet Inflammatory Index