Dietary inflammatory index and metabolic syndrome in US children and adolescents: evidence from NHANES 2001–2018

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of children and adolescents are affected by metabolic syndrome (MetS). Dietary inflammatory index (DII) was associated with MetS in adult population. This study aimed to determine the associations between DII scores, MetS, and MetS components among children and adolescents. METHODS: Data of children and adolescents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database 2001–2008 were obtained. DII was calculated for each participant based on the 24-h dietary recall interview. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to determine the associations between DII, the other study variables and abnormal MetS components. RESULTS: A total of 5,656 US children and adolescents (mean age = 15.49) in the 2001–2018 NHANES database were included. After adjusting for all confounders in the multivariate analysis, the top DII quartile was significantly and independently associated with increased odds of high blood pressure (BP) (aOR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.02–5.07) as compared with the lowest DII quartile. DII in quartile 2, 3 or 4 were not significantly associated with increased odds of MetS, high waist circumference (WC), low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), triglyceride (TG) or fasting plasma glucose (FPG) as compared with the lowest quartile. In stratified analysis by recommended physical activity level for children and adolescents, no significant association was observed between higher DII and MetS. CONCLUSIONS: Among US children and adolescents, high DII is associated with prevalent high BP but not MetS. The finding may contribute to future policymaking in promoting children’s health. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12986-022-00673-5.