Dietary inflammatory index scores differ by shift work status: NHANES 2005 to 2010.

Abstract

Shift workers are affected by diet- and inflammation-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. We examined a dietary inflammatory index (DII) in relation to shift work from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (2005 to 2010). The DII was calculated using data from a 24-hour dietary recall. Shift work categories included day workers, evening/night shift workers, or rotating shift workers. General linear models were fit to examine the relationship between shift work and adjusted mean DII values. Among all shift workers and specifically rotating shift workers, higher (ie, more pro-inflammatory) mean DII scores (1.01 and 1.07 vs 0.86; both P ≤ 0.01) were observed compared with day workers. Women tended to express strong evening/night shift effects. More proinflammatory diets observed among shift workers may partially explain increased inflammation-related chronic disease risk observed in other studies among shift workers compared with their day-working counterparts.