Inflammatory potential of diet scores and the risk of endometrial cancer: A case-control study

Chronic inflammation contributes significantly to endometrial carcinogenesis. However, evidence linking dietary inflammatory potential to endometrial cancer (EC) risk remains inconsistent, particularly among non-Western populations. This hospital-based case-control study investigated associations between dietary inflammatory indices and EC risk among Iranian women, including 136 EC cases and 272 age- and BMI-matched controls. Dietary intake was assessed via a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Dietary inflammatory potential was evaluated using four indices: Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP), Inflammatory Score of the Diet (ISD), and Dietary Inflammation Score (DIS). Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for potential confounders, revealed significantly higher DII and ISD scores among EC cases compared to controls (p < 0.001). Participants in the highest tertiles of DII (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.06–5.85, p = 0.03) and ISD (OR = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.03–7.33, p = 0.03) exhibited increased EC risk. However, DIS and EDIP scores showed no significant association following full adjustment. Findings highlight that diets with higher inflammatory potential, measured by DII and ISD, increase EC risk among Iranian women, underscoring the importance of dietary interventions targeting inflammation in EC prevention.