Research progress in the association between dietary inflammatory index and major depressive disorder

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2026.10.010

Abstract

Abstract:

The dietary inflammatory index (DII) is an important tool for assessing the inflammatory potential of diet. With the continued development of the inflammatory hypothesis of depression, DII has been widely applied in studies of major depressive disorder (MDD), and an increasing number of studies have found a significant association between higher DII scores and an increased risk of MDD. Against this background, this article outlines the rationale for the construction of DII and its calculation methods and introduces the advantages and limitations of assessment tools derived from DII. A review of recent studies reveals that a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern among individuals with high DII scores is a risk factor for the development of MDD, suggesting a dose-response relationship between DII and the risk of depression-related outcomes. Pro-inflammatory diets can induce chronic low-grade inflammation by increasing visceral fat accumulation and disrupting intestinal immune homeostasis and barrier integrity. This inflammation can enhance the transmission of peripheral inflammatory signals to the central nervous system, thereby activating microglia, inhibiting the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and interfering with tryptophan metabolism, ultimately leading to the occurrence and development of MDD. This article provides a new perspective on understanding the relationship between diet and MDD and also points to new directions for the treatment and comprehensive prevention of MDD. In the future, high-quality clinical research is still needed to clarify the clinical value of anti-inflammatory diets in the treatment and prevention of MDD, and to promote the clinical application of DII in psychiatry.

Key words: dietary inflammatory index (DII), pro-inflammatory diet, major depressive disorder (MDD), neuroinflammation, brain-gut axis, tryptophan metabolism

CLC Number:

R749.4

Li Binge, Wang Fan, Xu Xinran, Xu Xin, Chen Yiming, Hong Wu. Research progress in the association between dietary inflammatory index and major depressive disorder[J]. Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Medical Science), 2026,(10): 1406-1411.

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