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Association of dietary inflammatory index with mortality risk: a prospective analysis of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
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Dahyun Park, Hee Ju Jun, Garam Jo, Soyoung Kwak, Min-Jeong Shin
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Epidemiol Health. 2025;47:e2025017. Published online April 9, 2025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2025017
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 Abstract
Summary
 PDF Supplementary Material
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
The energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII), a tool developed based on comprehensive research and literature reviews, is used to assess the inflammatory potential of specific diets. Although previous research has demonstrated an association between E-DII and mortality, longitudinal studies investigating a causal relationship in Asian populations are lacking. This study aimed to explore the prospective association between E-DII and the risk of all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality using a population-based Korean cohort.
METHODS The analysis included data from 40,596 individuals who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2007 and 2015. The exclusion criteria encompassed the diagnosis of cancer or CVD at baseline, pregnancy at baseline, and death within the first 2 years after baseline. The E-DII was calculated using data from 24-hour dietary recall interviews. Cox proportional hazard regression models were employed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality risk across E-DII tertiles.
RESULTS Over an 8.2-year follow-up period, 2,070 deaths were recorded. Compared with the lowest E-DII, a higher index was associated with an increased risk of mortality from all causes (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.69), cancer (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.81), and CVD (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.07 to 2.18). The association between E-DII and all-cause mortality was particularly pronounced among individuals with metabolic conditions.
CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest a strong positive association between high E-DII and increased mortality in Korean adults, especially those with metabolic disorders.
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Summary
Korean summary
본 연구는 2007–2015년 국민건강영양조사-사망원인통계 연계 데이터를 바탕으로 한국 성인을 대상으로 식이염증지수(E-DII)와 전체, 암, 심혈관질환 사망률 간의 연관성을 분석하였음. 높은 식이염증지수는 전체 사망(HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.25–1.69), 암 사망(HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.09–1.81), 심혈관질환 사망(HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.07–2.18) 위험 증가와 유의하게 관련되었으며, 특히 대사질환 보유자에서 그 연관성이 두드러졌음.
Key Message
This prospective cohort study analyzed nationally representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007–2015) to examine the association between the energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII) and mortality risk. A higher E-DII was significantly associated with increased risks of all-cause (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.25–1.69), cancer mortality (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.09–1.81), and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.07–2.18), particularly among individuals with metabolic disorders.
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Individual- and neighborhood-level factors influencing diet quality: a multilevel analysis using Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, 2010-2019
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Dahyun Park, Min-Jeong Shin, S V Subramanian, Clara Yongjoo Park, Rockli Kim
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Epidemiol Health. 2025;47:e2025043. Published online August 4, 2025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2025043
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Abstract
Summary
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Although environmental factors influence lifestyle choices, few studies have examined how individual-level and neighborhood-level socio-demographic factors interact to affect diet quality in Korea. We investigated the associations between multilevel factors and diet quality among Korean adults and explored potential interactions by gender and age.
METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 42,035 adults from 1,671 towns using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2019) and the Population and Housing Census of Korea (2010-2019). Individual-level variables included gender, age, education, income, number of household members, smoking, drinking, physical activity, and subjective health status. Neighborhood-level variables included residential area, housing type, number of restaurants per capita, population size, and the proportion of low-income households and older adults. Associations with the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) were assessed using 2-level hierarchical models.
RESULTS Of the total variance in KHEI, 5.2% was attributable to neighborhood-level differences. Individual-level factors explained 48.1% of variance at the neighborhood-level, while neighborhood-level factors accounted for an additional 12.4%. Individuals living in rural areas, non-apartment housing, neighborhoods with higher proportions of low-income households and older adults, or in areas with smaller populations, had lower KHEI scores than their counterparts. In random slope models with cross-level interaction terms, diet quality among adults aged 70 years and older varied significantly according to neighborhood- level characteristics.
CONCLUSIONS Both individual-level and neighborhood-level factors influence diet quality in Korea, with older adults being especially vulnerable to neighborhood characteristics. Multilevel approaches are needed to identify at-risk populations and improve dietary outcomes.
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Summary
Korean summary
한국에서 식이 질은 개인적 요인 뿐 만 아니라 지역사회 수준 요인에 의해서도 유의하게 영향을 받는다. 농촌 거주, 비아파트 주거, 저소득층 또는 고령 인구 비율이 높은 지역에 거주하는 경우 한국 건강식이 지수(KHEI) 점수가 낮게 나타났다. 특히 노인은 불리한 지역사회 환경에 더욱 취약하여, 젊은 성인보다 더 강한 교차 수준 상호작용을 보였다.
Key Message
Both individual- and neighborhood-level factors significantly influence diet quality in Korea. Rural residence, non-apartment housing, and neighborhoods with higher proportions of low-income or elderly residents were associated with lower Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) scores. Older adults were especially vulnerable to adverse neighborhood environments, show- ing stronger cross-level interactions than younger adults.
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