Anti-inflammatory diet lowers risk of obstructive sleep apnoea

Adherence to a healthier diet, especially that with anti-inflammatory potential, can help reduce the risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a study.

A total of 145,801 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 2002–2012), NHS II (1995–2013), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1996–2012) were followed in this study.

The research team calculated the Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI) and Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) scores based on validated food frequency questionnaires administered every 4 years. They then estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox models.

During follow-up, the researchers documented 8,856 incident OSA cases. Pooled analyses adjusted for potential confounders revealed that higher diet quality (higher AHEI scores) tended to reduce OSA risk (highest vs lowest AHEI quintile: HR, 0.76, 95 percent CI, 0.71‒0.82; p_trend<0.001).

On the other hand, higher dietary inflammatory potential (higher EDIP scores) contributed to a significantly increased OSA risk (highest vs lowest EDIP quintile: HR, 1.94, 95 percent CI, 1.81‒2.08; p_trend<0.001).

Further adjustment for metabolic factors tempered both associations. Specifically, the association with AHEI score no longer reached statistical significance (comparable HR, 0.98, 95 percent CI, 0.91‒1.05; p_trend=0.54), while that with EDIP score remained statistically significant (comparable HR, 1.31, 95 percent CI, 1.22‒1.41; p_trend<0.001).

“Inflammation-related mechanisms may be important in the development of OSA, and diet plays a crucial role in modulating inflammation,” the researchers said.