Abstract

Background and Objectives: Current evidence suggests that gut microbiota dysbiosis accelerates aging and aging-related diseases through pro-inflammatory pathways. This study aimed to evaluate dietary quality in relation to inflammation and gut microbiota, and to explore their relationship with chronic diseases among urban Chinese adults aged 40-69 years. Methods and Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among urban Chinese adults aged 40-69 years. Dietary quality was assessed by dietary intake, dietary inflammation index (DII), and dietary index for gut microbiota (DI-GM). Log-binomial regression was performed to examine the associations between DII, DI-GM and chronic diseases. Results: An excessive energy proportion from fat (37.4%) and an insufficient contribution from carbohydrates (44.7%) indicated an imbalance in macronutrient intake. The medians and interquartile ranges for DII and DI-GM of the participants were 1.3 (0.2, 2.5) and 3.0 (2.0,5.0), respectively, suggesting a pro-inflammatory and gut microbiota-unfavorable dietary tendency. Livestock contributed most to dietary inflammation in the population (standardized β = 0.251), whereas vegetables showed the strongest inverse effect (standardized β = -0.500). A higher DI-GM score was suggested to be a protective factor against self-reported dysglycemia (OR = 0.311; 95%CI: 0.118, 0.818). Conclusions: The participants exhibited an imbalance in macronutrient intake and a dietary tendency that was pro-inflammatory and unfavorable to gut microbiota. Notably, this study revealed a negative relationship between DI-GM and dysglycemia in middle-aged and elderly population, which underscores the potential of targeting gut microbiota through diet for chronic disease prevention in this population.

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