Nearly 6 in 10 Americans Eat Pro-Inflammatory Diet

Nearly 6 in 10 American adults consume a pro-inflammatory diet, research suggests, putting them at a greater risk for a variety of health issues.

A majority of adults in the United States consume a pro-inflammatory diet, meaning they eat foods that cause inflammation in the body — putting them at a greater risk for health issues such as heart disease and cancer.

This is according to a new study, published in Public Health Nutrition. To conduct the study, researchers used the dietary inflammatory index, a tool designed to examine inflammation in the diet using 45 dietary components. The researchers used the tool to analyze the diets of more than 34,500 adults included in the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

They found that 57% of all U.S. adults have a pro-inflammatory diet and that that number is higher for Black Americans, men, younger adults, and people with lower education and income.

The tool works by assigning inflammation values to diets ranging from −9 to 8, with 0 representing a neutral diet. Of the participants, roughly 34% had anti-inflammatory diets, while another 9% had neutral dietary inflammatory levels.

Older studies into dietary habits typically focus solely on the intake of food groups and macronutrients and how they align with general recommendations to measure nutrition. But the researchers say inflammation is also an important factor to consider.

Here’s why: you may be eating enough fruits or vegetables, but also consuming too much alcohol or red meat. In this case, your diet could still be considered pro-inflammatory, said lead author Rachel Meadows, visiting faculty in The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health, in a statement.

With this research, the authors aim to emphasize the value of adding anti-inflammatory foods into one’s diet, such as garlic, ginger, turmeric, green and black tea, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, legumes, fatty fish, and berries.

Doing so can have a major impact on many chronic conditions, the researchers said, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and other mental health conditions.

Of course, it’s important to acknowledge that there are barriers to eating a less inflammatory diet, including a lack of access to fruits and vegetables. Meadows explained that healthy foods also tend to be more expensive and may not be affordable for those with low incomes.

“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.”