Association of Dietary Inflammatory Potential with Blood Inflammation: The Prospective Markers on Mild Cognitive Impairment

Inflammation is known as an important mechanism of cognitive dysfunction. Systemic immune inflammation index (SII) and system inflammation response index (SIRI) are two blood inflammatory markers, which are related to many chronic diseases including cognitive impairment. It is recognized that dietary inflammatory index (DII), which is used to estimate the overall inflammatory potential of diet, may be related to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well. This study aimed to explore the relationship between SII, SIRI and DII, as well as the role of these inflammatory indexes on MCI in elderly people. A total of 1050 participants from Beijing were included. Neuropsychological tests were used for cognitive evaluation. Energy-adjusted DII scores were calculated based on semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Blood samples were tested for calculating SII and SIRI. Log-binomial regression models were used to estimate the correlation of indexes. After adjusting demographic characteristics, SII and SIRI in MCI individuals were higher than controls (p ≤ 0.001). DII, SII and SIRI had positive relationship with MoCA scores (p < 0.005). DII also correlated with SIRI in MCI (β = 0.11, p = 0.031). Higher DII and SIRI could definitely increase the risk of MCI, as well as DII and SII (p < 0.005). In conclusion, DII was positively correlated with blood inflammation. The elderly with higher level of DII and SIRI, or DII and SII could be considered as people with higher risk of developing MCI.