Body fat percentage, not dietary inflammatory index, is associated with type 2 diabetes in reproductive-aged women: a case-control study

Debby Endayani Safitri (Nutrition Science Study Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof DR Hamka, Jakarta, DKI Jakarta)
Rimbawan Rimbawan (Departement of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University, Bogor, West Java)
Cesilia Meti Dwiriani (Departement of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University, Bogor, West Java)
Ali Khomsan (Departement of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University, Bogor, West Java)
Vetnizah Juniantito (School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedicine, IPB University, Bogor, West Java)
Nur Setiawati Rahayu (Nutrition Science Study Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof DR Hamka, Jakarta, DKI Jakarta)

JURNAL GIZI INDONESIA
Vol 14, No 2 (2026): June

ABSTRACTBackground: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in reproductive-aged women is a growing public health concern. While both adiposity and dietary factors are known to influence diabetes risk, their independent contributions remain unclear.Objectives: This study aimed to assess the association between body fat percentage, Body Mass Index (BMI), and the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) with T2DM risk in reproductive-aged women.Materials and Methods: A case-control study was conducted among 70 women aged 30–50 years. Cases were women with diagnosed T2DM, and controls were non-diabetic women matched by residential area. BMI, body fat percentage, and DII were assessed and categorized: BMI (≤27 vs >27 kg/m²) and body fat percentage (≤32% vs >32%) were measured using a digital scale with bioelectrical impedance function and height assessed with a microtoise, while DII (low, medium, high tertiles) was calculated based on dietary data collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ). Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney test for group comparisons and logistic regression (bivariate and multivariate) to examine associations.Results: Body fat percentage and BMI were significantly higher in the T2DM group (p = 0.006 and p = 0.014, respectively). In bivariate logistic regression, high body fat percentage was significantly associated with T2DM (p = 0.007), BMI and DII were not (p = 0.095 and p = 0.662). In the multivariate model, only body fat percentage remained significant (OR = 5.58; 95%CI = 1.39-22.39; p = 0.015), while BMI (OR = 1.04; 95%CI = 0.32-3.41; p = 0.951) and DII (OR = 0.66; 95%CI = 0.34-1.28; p = 0.219) were not.Conclusion: Body fat percentage was an independent risk factor for T2DM in reproductive-aged women, whereas BMI and DII were not. These findings emphasize the need for precise body composition assessment and suggest adiposity may play a greater role than dietary inflammatory potential.Keywords: BMI; body fat percentage; dietary inflammatory index; reproductive-aged women; type 2 diabetes mellitus