Research

Mixed

A pro-inflammatory diet, as quantified by the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), is significantly associated with elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a biomarker for cardiovascular risk.

Your daily food choices directly influence your body's inflammation levels. To lower your risk of cardiovascular issues associated with chronic inflammation, prioritize a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats (like fish and olive oil), while minimizing red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy. This 'anti-inflammatory' dietary pattern is associated with lower levels of C-reactive protein, a key marker of heart disease risk.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Higher DII scores were associated with values of hs-CRP >3 mg/l (OR 5 1?08; 95 % CI 1?01, 1?16, P 5 0?035 for the 24HR; and OR 5 1.10; 95 % CI 1.02, 1.19, P 5 0.015 for the 7DDR).
Nitin Shivappa et al. · Public Health Nutrition · 2013

Why this rating

Longitudinal observational study with robust statistical controls and large sample size, but not a randomized controlled trial.

Source

A population-based dietary inflammatory index predicts levels of C-reactive protein in the Seasonal Variation of Blood Cholesterol Study (SEASONS)

Nitin Shivappa et al. · Public Health Nutrition · 2013

DOI 10.1017/s1368980013002565

cohort · n=559Cited 698×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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