{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["41(1)"],"submitter":["Dunk MM"],"funding":["Karolinska Institute"],"pubmed_abstract":["Pro-inflammatory diets are associated with cognitive decline and dementia, but their impact on brain aging is unclear. We investigated the association between a pro-inflammatory diet and brain age, taking into account age, genetic risk for dementia, and systemic inflammation. UK Biobank participants (N = 21,473) aged 40-70 years and free of neurological disorders were included. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was calculated from participants' average intake of 31 nutrients, assessed up to five times via 24-h recalls. Participants were categorized into four DII groups (group 1, anti-inflammatory, DII < -2; group 2, DII -2 to < 0; group 3, DII 0 to < 2; group 4, DII ≥ 2), with group 4 reflecting the most pro-inflammatory diet. Brain age was estimated using a machine learning model based on 1079 structural and functional MRI measures, obtained approximately 9 years after baseline. We calculated brain age gap (BAG; brain age minus chronological age), where BAG > 0 reflects a biologically older brain than chronological age. An Alzheimer's disease polygenic risk score (PRS<sub>AD</sub>), APOE4 status, and a composite score of systemic inflammation (INFLA-score) were determined from baseline blood samples. More pro-inflammatory diets were associated with increasingly greater BAG, with advanced brain age by [Formula: see text]=0.50 [95% CI 0.20, 0.80] years among those in group 4. There were no interactions between DII and age, PRS<sub>AD</sub>, or APOE4 in relation to BAG, but associations were stronger among adults ≥ 60 years. INFLA-score mediated 8% of the DII-BAG association. These findings suggest that a pro-inflammatory diet may accelerate brain aging, especially in older adults."],"journal":["European journal of epidemiology"],"pagination":["39-50"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12881069"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"pubmed_title":["The association between a pro-inflammatory diet and brain age in middle-aged and older adults."],"pmcid":["PMC12881069"],"pubmed_authors":["Sakakibara S","Guo J","Bennett DA","Huang H","Dove A","Carballo-Casla A","Wang J","Xu W","Dunk MM"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"The association between a pro-inflammatory diet and brain age in middle-aged and older adults.","description":"Pro-inflammatory diets are associated with cognitive decline and dementia, but their impact on brain aging is unclear. We investigated the association between a pro-inflammatory diet and brain age, taking into account age, genetic risk for dementia, and systemic inflammation. UK Biobank participants (N = 21,473) aged 40-70 years and free of neurological disorders were included. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was calculated from participants' average intake of 31 nutrients, assessed up to five times via 24-h recalls. Participants were categorized into four DII groups (group 1, anti-inflammatory, DII < -2; group 2, DII -2 to < 0; group 3, DII 0 to < 2; group 4, DII ≥ 2), with group 4 reflecting the most pro-inflammatory diet. Brain age was estimated using a machine learning model based on 1079 structural and functional MRI measures, obtained approximately 9 years after baseline. We calculated brain age gap (BAG; brain age minus chronological age), where BAG > 0 reflects a biologically older brain than chronological age. An Alzheimer's disease polygenic risk score (PRS<sub>AD</sub>), APOE4 status, and a composite score of systemic inflammation (INFLA-score) were determined from baseline blood samples. More pro-inflammatory diets were associated with increasingly greater BAG, with advanced brain age by [Formula: see text]=0.50 [95% CI 0.20, 0.80] years among those in group 4. There were no interactions between DII and age, PRS<sub>AD</sub>, or APOE4 in relation to BAG, but associations were stronger among adults ≥ 60 years. INFLA-score mediated 8% of the DII-BAG association. These findings suggest that a pro-inflammatory diet may accelerate brain aging, especially in older adults.","dates":{"release":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2026 Jan","modification":"2026-07-06T03:12:31.959Z","creation":"2026-07-06T03:08:37.602Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC12881069","cross_references":{"pubmed":["41144113"],"doi":["10.1007/s10654-025-01318-6"]}}