Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is often linked to chronic inflammation, which can be influenced by both lifestyle and dietary choices. However, the relationship between the inflammatory potential of diet and lifestyle factors and the risk of developing T2DM remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of the empirical dietary inflammatory index (EDII), dietary inflammatory score (DIS), and lifestyle inflammatory score (LIS) with the risk of T2DM among Iranian adults. Methods: The current study was conducted on 5714 individuals from Yazd Health Study (YaHS) who were followed up for a mean period of six years. YaHS is a prospective cohort study which has been conducted since 2014. Dietary intakes were collected at baseline using the food frequency questionnaire. The relative risk (RR) of T2DM was calculated by Cox regression analysis across tertiles of EDII, DIS, and LIS, adjusted for potential confounders. Results: The mean ± SD for the age and body mass index of the study population were 47.0 ± 9.2 years and 26.7 ± 5.1 Kg.m2, respectively. A significant association between LIS and the risk of T2DM was observed (RR: 4.05, 95 CI: 2.61–6.27 P-trend < 0.001). Individuals in the highest compared to the lowest tertile of EDII-LIS (RR: 3.07, 95CI: 2.01–4.68; P for trend < 0.001) and DIS-LIS (RR: 2.42, 95CI: 1.69–3.49; P for trend < 0.001) had a higher risk of T2DM. However, no significant association was found between EDII and DIS scores and the risk of T2DM. Conclusion: Greater adherence to LIS, EDII-LIS, and DIS-LIS scores was associated with a higher risk of T2DM, while no significant association was found between EDII and DIS with T2DM risk. © The Author(s) 2024.