Dietary Inflammatory Index, a relevant tool for the characterization of diet in Major Depressive Disorders?

Details

Supervisors

Leclercq, Sophie

Faculty

Faculté de pharmacie et des sciences biomédicales

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences biomédicales, à finalité spécialisée: nutrition humaine

Abstract

enMajor Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric disorder which increasingly affects adults around the world. Different studies demonstrated the link between inflammation and depressive symptoms which could be mediated by diet through different mechanisms such as the microbiota-gut brain axis. The present study investigates the relationship between the inflammatory potential of the diet and the severity of the symptoms in patients suffering from MDD. Consequently, a tool known as the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was adapted from the literature then used in our psychiatric population. The objectives of this research were to correlate the DII scores with physical parameters and clinical tests. Then, the association between these DII scores and inflammatory biomarkers were explored. NOVA scores were also calculated to evaluate the quality of the diet from a different perspective. A total of 50 MDD patients aged from 18 to 70 were enrolled in this study from two different hospitals: Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc (N=25) and Hôpital Psychiatrique Du Beau-Vallon (N=25). Psychological surveys, biological samples (blood, saliva, stool) as well as diet surveys were collected. A control group (N = 21) was used to calculate the DII scores. The inflammatory biomarkers were measured in a validating cohort composed of patients suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD, N=40), followed for a period of three months. Results indicate that MDD and AUD patients have higher DII scores in comparison to the control group. Interestingly, significant correlations were found between DII and systemic inflammatory markers. Indeed, DII was negatively associated with the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. A positive correlation was found between DII score and the macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC). Association was also found with the NOVA scores.