LAUSR

RATIONALE Dietary patterns may alter immune responses and increase asthma risk or affect lung function. OBJECTIVES To examine whether a pro-inflammatory diet (assessed by the energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index, (E-DII®) or high dietary quality (assessed by the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, AHEI-2010) are associated with current asthma, current asthma symptoms, and lung function in Hispanic adults. METHODS Cross-sectional study of 12,687 adults aged 18 to 76 years who participated in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). The E-DII and AHEI-2010 were calculated based on two 24-hour dietary recalls. Logistic or linear regression was used for the multivariable analysis of E-DII or AHEI-2010 scores and current asthma, asthma symptoms, and lung function measures, adjusting for age, gender, annual household income, study center, Hispanic/Latino background, smoking status, and other covariates. RESULTS A higher E-DII score was associated with current asthma (odds ratio [OR] for quartile 4 vs. 1=1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.97-1.90) and asthma symptoms (OR for quartile 4 vs. 1=1.42, 95% CI=1.12-1.81). The AHEI-2010 score was not associated with current asthma or asthma symptoms. Among adults without asthma, a higher E-DII score was associated with lower FEV1 and FVC, and a higher AHEI-2010 score was associated with higher FEV1 and FVC. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that a pro-inflammatory diet increases the risk of asthma and asthma symptoms in Hispanic adults. An anti-inflammatory diet (indicated by a lower E-DII or a higher AHEI-2010 score) may positively influence lung function in Hispanic adults without asthma.