Published Paper Details:

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder characterised by chronic low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance, and hormonal dysregulation. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) is a validated tool for quantifying the inflammatory potential of diet; however, its relationship with nutritional adequacy and gastrointestinal (GI) health in women with PCOS remains underexplored, particularly in the Indian context. Objective: To assess the association between dietary inflammatory potential (measured by DII) and gut health in women diagnosed with PCOS in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among 100 women aged 18-35 years with confirmed PCOS (Rotterdam Criteria). Participants were classified into anti-inflammatory (DII < -1, n = 34), moderate inflammatory (DII -1 to +1, n = 32), and pro-inflammatory (DII > +1, n = 34) categories. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall and a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Gut health was evaluated using the Gut Health Appraisal Questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS v21.0; chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA were applied as appropriate, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Demographic characteristics were homogeneous across DII categories, with no statistically significant associations for any sociodemographic variable. The anti-inflammatory group demonstrated significantly higher intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrates, dietary fibre, folate, beta-carotene, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc compared to the pro-inflammatory group. Despite this, micronutrient inadequacy, particularly for iron, calcium, folate, and vitamin A, was pervasive across all groups. Fat intake exceeded 110% of the RDA uniformly across all categories. No gastrointestinal symptom showed a statistically significant difference across DII groups, and the overall Pearson correlation between DII and total gut health score was weak and non-significant (r = -0.076, p = 0.453). Conclusion: A pro-inflammatory dietary pattern was associated with a nutritionally inferior diet in women with PCOS, though GI symptom burden did not differ significantly by dietary inflammatory status. Micronutrient inadequacy was a sample-wide finding, underscoring the need for targeted dietary counselling across all women with PCOS, with particular urgency for those following pro-inflammatory dietary patterns Conclusion: A pro-inflammatory dietary pattern was associated with a nutritionally inferior diet in women with PCOS, though GI symptom burden did not differ significantly by dietary inflammatory status. Micronutrient inadequacy was a sample-wide finding, underscoring the need for targeted dietary counselling across all women with PCOS, with particular urgency for those following pro-inflammatory dietary patterns Conclusion: A pro-inflammatory dietary pattern was associated with a nutritionally inferior diet in women with PCOS, though GI symptom burden did not differ significantly by dietary inflammatory status. Micronutrient inadequacy was a sample-wide finding, underscoring the need for targeted dietary counselling across all women with PCOS, with particular urgency for those following pro-inflammatory dietary patterns Conclusion: A pro-inflammatory dietary pattern was associated with a nutritionally inferior diet in women with PCOS, though GI symptom burden did not differ significantly by dietary inflammatory status. Micronutrient inadequacy was a sample-wide finding, underscoring the need for targeted dietary counselling across all women with PCOS, with particular urgency for those following pro-inflammatory dietary patterns Conclusion: A pro-inflammatory dietary pattern was associated with a nutritionally inferior diet in women with PCOS, though GI symptom burden did not differ significantly by dietary inflammatory status. Micronutrient inadequacy was a sample-wide finding, underscoring the need for targeted dietary counselling across all women with PCOS, with particular urgency for those following pro-inflammatory dietary patterns Conclusion: A pro-inflammatory dietary pattern was associated with a nutritionally inferior diet in women with PCOS, though GI symptom burden did not differ significantly by dietary inflammatory status. Micronutrient inadequacy was a sample-wide finding, underscoring the need for targeted dietary counselling across all women with PCOS, with particular urgency for those following pro-inflammatory dietary patterns