Association between dietary inflammatory index and infertility of women; Results from RaNCD Cohort Study

Background: In recent decades, more and more attention has been paid to the influence of nutrition on reproductive health. Nevertheless, the imminent association between diet-related inflammation and the risk of infertility has not yet been established. The aim of the current study was to investigate the ability of the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) to estimate infertility incidence in women. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from Ravansar non-communicable diseases (RaNCD) cohort study on 3,988 participants. The DII was calculated based on the reported consumption of up to 31 food parameters measured via a validated and reproducible 118-item food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the multivariable odds ratio (OR) adjusted for potential confounding variables. Results Out of all participants, 397 women (9.95%) were infertile. The mean ± SD age of infertile women was 45.1 ± 7.58 years and the mean ± SD weight was 72 ± 13.69. Also, 957 (24%) of the participants had low physical activity and 3,374 (84.6%) used contraceptives. Statistical analyses showed the odds ratio of infertility in the fourth quartile (pro-inflammatory diet) was 1.48 times higher than in the first quartile (anti-inflammatory diet) of DII (95% CI: 1.10,2.03). Conclusions Based on the results that provide compelling evidence we concluded that infertility in women is related to dietary. Interventions and programs aimed at promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle could be helpful in solving the problem of infertility in women.