ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1617287
This article is part of the Research TopicNutrient Metabolism and Complications of Type 2 Diabetes MellitusView all 15 articles
Association between the dietary index for gut microbiota and metabolic syndrome: the mediating role of the dietary inflammatory index
Provisionally accepted
- 1The First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
- 2Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei Province, China
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Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) poses a huge global public health challenge. The dietary index for gut microbiota (DI-GM) measures the influence of diets on the microbiome, but its link with the odds of MetS is elusive. This paper examined the link between DI-GM and MetS and investigated the mediating role of the dietary inflammatory index (DII). Methods: Data were sourced from the 2007-2018 NHANES for adults diagnosed with MetS. A total of 20,999 participants were included in the analysis. Dietary data were recorded via two 24-hour dietary recalls, from which DI-GM and DII were calculated. Multivariate weighted logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were leveraged to assess the link between DI-GM and MetS. Mediation analysis was implemented to determine the role of DII in this association. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also implemented. Results: After adjusting for all covariates, participants in the highest DI-GM scores (Q4) had a greatly lower odds of MetS compared to those in the lowest DI-GM group (Q1) (OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.69-0.92, P = 0.003). The RCS analysis noted a linear negative link between DI-GM and MetS (P for nonlinear = 0.414). DII partially mediated the correlation between DI-GM and MetS [Indirect effect estimate = -0.00265, 95% CI: (-0.00445, -0.00167), P < 0.001]. Subgroup analysis showed consistent negative associations between higher DI-GM (Q4) and MetS across various demographic and lifestyle subgroups, with no statistically significant interactions observed (P interaction > 0.05). Conclusion: High DI-GM levels are linked with a significantly reduced odds of MetS, with DII partially mediating this association.
Keywords: Metabolic Syndrome, Gut Microbiota Diet Index, Dietary Inflammatory Index, Mediation Analysis, NHANES PIR, Poverty-income ratio, MetS, metabolic syndrome, FPG, Fasting Plasma Glucose, HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, TG, triglycerides, WC, waist circumference, BP, blood pressure, BMI, body mass index
Received: 24 Apr 2025; Accepted: 09 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Han, Wang, Xiong, Li and Mao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lin Li, The First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
Ru-Meng Mao, The First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
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