• Posted October 2, 2024

Six in 10 Americans Have Unhealthy Pro-Inflammatory Diets

Most Americans are eating their way to inflammation that puts them at risk of cancer, heart disease and other serious health problems, a new study shows.

"Overall, 57% of U.S. adults have a pro-inflammatory diet and that number was higher for Black Americans, men, younger adults and people with lower education and income," said lead study author Rachel Meadows, a visiting faculty member at Ohio State University's College of Public Health.

Her team used a tool known as the dietary inflammatory index, which includes 45 components, to examine the self-reported eating habits of more than 34,500 adults included in a federal health and nutrition survey between 2005 and 2018. 

While other dietary measures look at intake of food groups like fruit, veggies or dairy or nutrients like fats, proteins and carbs, Meadows said inflammation is important to consider.

Using the tool, they assigned inflammation values ranging from -9 to 8, with 0 representing a neutral diet.

In all, 34% had anti-inflammatory diets, according to findings published Sept. 27 in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

Meadows said overall balance of the diet is important.

"Even if you're eating enough fruits or vegetables, if you're having too much alcohol or red meat, then your overall diet can still be pro-inflammatory," she said, adding that she wants people to think about anti-inflammatory foods as tools to boost health.

Garlic, ginger, turmeric and green and black tea all have anti-inflammatory properties, Meadows said. 

Other anti-inflammatory foods include whole grains, leafy green veggies, legumes such as beans and lentils, fatty fish such as salmon and berries — which are all found in the popular Mediterranean diet regimen. 

"Moving toward a diet with less inflammation could have a positive impact on a number of chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even depression and other mental health conditions," Meadows said in an Ohio State news release.

She cited several obstacles to eating a less inflammatory diet, including poor access to fresh produce and its cost -- a barrier to folks with low incomes. Many people also have chronic inflammation due to non-dietary factors, she said.

"There are a lot of factors that contribute to chronic inflammation, and they all interact -- even sleep is a key component," Meadows said. "Diet can be used as a tool to combat that."

More information

Johns Hopkins Medicine has an anti-inflammatory diet guide.

SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, Oct. 1, 2024