Assessment of dietary inflammatory index (DII) in a group of patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis treatment.

Background: Severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with the inflammatory response, and that a decrease in glomerular filtration rate correlates positively with the concentrations of inflammatory markers. Moreover, the severity of the inflammatory response is also exacerbated by the dialysis treatment process. It is also emphasized that the introduction of appropriate dietary interventions alleviates inflammation and reduces the concentration of markers.

Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to analyze the nutritional value of daily rations and the value of the dietary inflammatory index (DII) in a group of dialysis patients.

Methods: Fifty-four patients (35 men, 19 women), with kidney replacement therapy, were enrolled in the study. The DII index was calculated according to the formula of Shivappa et al.

Results: The results showed that the vast majority of dialysis patients (83%), including almost all women (94%) and as many as 77% of men consumed a pro-inflammatory diet. The value of the DII index, in the total study group, was 2.89. Analysis of the 3-day dietary interviews showed that the pro-inflammatory nature of the diets was due in particular to low intake of: selenium, PUFA, vitamins (D, B9, C) and fiber. On the other hand, it was shown that the patients consumed saturated fatty acids and cholesterol in excess.

Conclusions: Observations made in this study, indicate the need to intensify nutrition education as an element in the routine care of dialysis patients in order to increase the effectiveness of patients' adherence to an anti-inflammatory diet.