Objective To investigate the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and osteoporosis in the population with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods The data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years 2017-2018 were utilized in this study, with a total of 1686 participants included. Participants were divided into two groups based on whether they had osteoporosis, and the general characteristics of the two groups were compared. The participants were stratified into tertiles based on the DII score. Utilizing the recommended NHANES weights, binary logistic regression was employed to analyze the relationship between DII and osteoporosis. Additionally, linear correlation analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between DII and bone mineral density (BMD). Results Compared with the non-osteoporosis group, participants in the osteoporosis group were found to have older age, lower BMI, higher proportion of females, and higher DII scores, with statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05); Binary logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between DII and the risk of osteoporosis in the NAFLD population (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.68, P = 0.010) after adjusting for all potential confounding factors. Compared to the T1 group, the T3 group had a higher risk of developing osteoporosis (adjusted OR = 3.19, 95% CI: 1.34-7.58, P = 0.009) after adjusting for all potential confounding factors. Correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between DII scores and femoral neck BMD, lumbar spine BMD, and total hip BMD (r = ?0.0661, ?0.0649, ?0.1329, P = 0.032, 0.049, <0.001, respectively). Conclusions The association between a higher DII score, representing a pro-inflammatory diet, and the risk of osteoporosis in the NAFLD population was observed. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between DII scores and bone density. Thus, a high DII score serves as a risk factor for osteoporosis in the NAFLD population. |