Association between food inflammation scores of individuals and sarcopenia in U.S. adults: A cross-sectional study from NHANES 2011–2018

This cross-sectional study investigates the association between the Food Inflammation Scores of Individuals (FISI34, FISI26-USDA, FISI26-CHINA), derived from the Food Inflammation Index (FII), and sarcopenia in 5489 U.S. adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2011-2018). Sarcopenia was defined using appendicular lean mass adjusted for body mass index (BMI). Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses revealed significant positive associations between higher FISI and sarcopenia prevalence, with odds ratios ranging from 1.13 to 1.39 in fully adjusted models. Stronger associations were observed in females, adults aged ≥40 years, Mexican Americans, and those with higher BMI or chronic conditions like hypertension and cardiovascular disease, though no significant interaction effects were observed (p-interaction >0.05). FISI, incorporating individual dietary intake and nutrient reference values, offers a personalized approach compared to the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), supporting the evaluation of targeted dietary strategies to address sarcopenia.