Low-Calorie Vegetarian Versus Mediterranean Diets for Reducing Body Weight and Improving Cardiovascular Risk Profile: CARDIVEG Study (Cardiovascular Prevention With Vegetarian Diet) Randomization to plant-based dietary approaches leads to larger short-term improvements in Dietary Inflammatory Index scores and macronutrient intake compared with diets that contain meat. Effects of dairy compared with soy on oxidative and inflammatory stress in overweight and obese subjects. Non-soya legume-based therapeutic lifestyle change diet reduces inflammatory status in diabetic patients: a randomised cross-over clinical trial. Vegetarian diet for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: can the clinical effects be explained by the psychological characteristics of the patients? Vegetarian diet improves insulin resistance and oxidative stress markers more than conventional diet in subjects with Type 2 diabetes Diets high in palmitic acid (16:0), lauric and myristic acids (12:0 + 14:0), or oleic acid (18:1) do not alter postprandial or fasting plasma homocysteine and inflammatory markers in healthy Malaysian adults. The Effects of the Mediterranean Diet on Biomarkers of Vascular Wall Inflammation and Plaque Vulnerability in Subjects with High Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. A Randomized Trial Soy Consumption, Markers of Inflammation, and Endothelial Function Soymilk supplementation does not alter plasma markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in postmenopausal women. Changes of faecal flora in rheumatoid arthritis during fasting and one-year vegetarian diet. Biochemical and neurohormonal responses to the introduction of a lacto-ovovegetarian diet Antioxidants in vegan diet and rheumatic disorders. Mediterranean versus vegetarian diet for cardiovascular disease prevention (the CARDIVEG study): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial Effect of a Mediterranean type diet on inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers in patients with osteoarthritis Impact of personalized diet and probiotic supplementation on inflammation, nutritional parameters and intestinal microbiota - The "RISTOMED project": Randomized controlled trial in healthy older people. The selective lipid-lowering effect of vegetarianism on low density lipoproteins in a cross-over experiment.
Background : Only a few r and omized dietary intervention studies that investigated the effects of lacto-ovo vegetarian diet ( VD ) in clinical ly healthy omnivorous subjects are available . Methods : We r and omly assigned to overweight omnivores with a low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk profile  a low-calorie VD compared with a low-calorie Mediterranean diet ( MD ) , each lasting 3 months , with a crossover design . The primary outcome was the difference in body weight , body mass index , and fat mass changes between the 2 groups . Secondary outcomes were differences in circulating cardiovascular disease risk parameters changes between the 2 groups . Results : One hundred eighteen subjects ( mean age : 51.1 years , females : 78 % ) were enrolled . The total participation rate at the end of the study was 84.7 % . No differences between the 2 diets in body weight were observed , as reported by similar and significant reductions obtained by both VD ( −1.88 kg ) and MD ( −1.77 kg ) . Similar results were observed for body mass index and fat mass . In contrast , significant differences between the 2 interventions were obtained for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol , triglycerides , and vitamin B12 levels . The difference between the VD and MD groups , in terms of end-of-diet values , was recorded at 9.10 mg/dL for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P=0.01 ) , 12.70 mg/dL for triglycerides ( P<0.01 ) , and 32.32 pg/mL for vitamin B12 ( P<0.01 ) . Finally , no significant difference was found between VD and MD interventions in oxidative stress markers and inflammatory cytokines , except for interleukin-17 , which improved only in the MD group . Forty-six participants during the VD period and 35 during the MD period reached the target values for ≥1 cardiovascular risk factor . Conclusions : Both VD and MD were effective in reducing body weight , body mass index , and fat mass , with no significant differences between them . However , VD was more effective in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels , whereas MD led to a greater reduction in triglyceride levels . Clinical Trial Registration : URL : https://www . clinical trials.gov . Unique identifier : NCT02641834 Studies have examined nutrient differences among people following different plant-based diets . However , all of these studies have been observational . The aim of the present study was to examine differences in nutrient intake and Dietary Inflammatory Index ( DII ) scores among overweight and obese ( body mass index 25.0 - 49.9 kg/m(2 ) ) adults r and omized to receive dietary instruction on a vegan ( n = 12 ) , vegetarian ( n = 13 ) , pescovegetarian ( n = 13 ) , semivegetarian ( n = 13 ) , or omnivorous ( n = 12 ) diet during a 6-month r and omized controlled trial . Nutrient intake , nutrient adequacy , and DII score were assessed via two 24-hour dietary recalls ( Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Recall ) at baseline and at 2 and 6 months . Differences in nutrient intake and the DII were examined using general linear models with follow-up tests at each time point . We hypothesized that individuals r and omized to the vegan diet would have lower DII scores and greater improvements in fiber , carbohydrate , fat , saturated fat , and cholesterol at both 2 and 6 months as compared with the other 4 diets . Participants r and omized to the vegan diet had significantly greater changes in most macronutrients at both time points , including fat and saturated fat , as well as cholesterol and , at 2 months , fiber , as compared with most of the other diet groups ( Ps < .05 ) . Vegan , vegetarian , and pescovegetarian participants all saw significant improvements in the DII score as compared with semivegetarian participants at 2 months ( Ps < .05 ) with no differences at 6 months . Given the greater impact on macronutrients and the DII during the short term , finding ways to provide support for adoption and maintenance of plant-based dietary approaches , such as vegan and vegetarian diets , should be given consideration BACKGROUND We recently showed that calcitriol increases oxidative and inflammatory stress ; moreover , inhibition of calcitriol with high-calcium diets decreased both adipose tissue and systemic oxidative and inflammatory stress in obese mice , whereas dairy exerted a greater effect . However , these findings may be confounded by concomitant changes in adiposity . OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of a dairy-rich diet on oxidative and inflammatory stress in overweight and obese subjects in the absence of adiposity changes . DESIGN Twenty subjects ( 10 obese , 10 overweight ) participated in a blinded , r and omized , crossover study of dairy- compared with soy-supplemented eucaloric diets . Two 28-d dietary periods were separated by a 28-d washout period . Inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers were measured on days 0 , 7 , and 28 of each dietary period . RESULTS The dairy-supplemented diet result ed in significant suppression of oxidative stress ( plasma malondialdehyde , 22 % ; 8-isoprostane-F(2alpha ) , 12 % ; P < 0.0005 ) and lower inflammatory markers ( tumor necrosis factor-alpha , 15 % , P < 0.002 ; interleukin-6 , 13 % , P < 0.01 ; monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 , 10 % , P < 0.0006 ) and increased adiponectin ( 20 % , P < 0.002 ) , whereas the soy exerted no significant effect . These effects were evident by day 7 of treatment and increased in magnitude at the end of the 28-d treatment periods . There were no significant differences in response to treatment between overweight and obese subjects for any variable studied . CONCLUSION An increase in dairy food intake produces significant and substantial suppression of the oxidative and inflammatory stress associated with overweight and obesity . This trial was registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT00686426 The present r and omised cross-over clinical trial investigated the effects of two intervention diets ( non-soya legume-based therapeutic lifestyle change ( TLC ) diet v. isoenergetic legume-free TLC diet ) on inflammatory biomarkers among type 2 diabetic patients . A group of thirty-one participants ( twenty-four women and seven men ; weight 74.5 ( SD 7.0 ) kg ; age 58.1 ( SD 6.0 ) years ) were r and omly assigned to one of the two following intervention diets for 8 weeks : legume-free TLC diet or non-soya legume-based TLC diet . The latter diet was the same as the legume-free TLC diet , except that two servings of red meat were replaced with different types of cooked non-soya legumes such as lentils , chickpeas , peas and beans over a period of 3 d per week . The intervention period was followed by a washout period of 4 weeks , after which the groups followed the alternate treatment for 8 weeks . Concentrations of inflammatory markers were measured at baseline and after the intervention periods . Compared with the legume-free TLC diet , the non-soya legume-based TLC diet  significantly decreased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein , IL-6 and TNF-α in overweight diabetic patients . The replacement of two servings of red meat by non-soya legumes in the isoenergetic TLC diet for a period of 3 d per week reduced the plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers among overweight diabetic patients , independent of weight change In a controlled , single blind clinical trial we have demonstrated recently a beneficial effect of fasting and vegetarian diet in RA . In the present study we compared 53 patients who participated in this clinical trial with 71 other RA patients with regard to some psychological parameters . The patients who participated in the clinical trial differed significantly from other RA patients . Firstly , they had a higher internal score and a lower chance score on the Multi-dimensional Health Locus of Control Scale ( MHLCS ) . Secondly , their belief in the effect of ordinary medical treatment , evaluated by a 10-cm visual analogue scale , was lower , and their belief in the effect of ' alternative ' , unconventional forms of treatment was higher . Of the patients who were r and omized to a vegetarian diet  , there was no significant difference between diet responders and diet non-responders with regard to the MHLCS scores . But , diet responders had a significantly lower belief in the effect of ordinary medical treatment compared with diet non-responders . The psychological distress imposed on the patients by changing from an omnivorous diet to a vegetarian diet was monitored during the clinical trial by means of the General Health Question naire . Throughout the clinical trial , this variable favoured the vegetarians compared with the omnivorous and the diet responders vs the diet non-responders . We conclude , firstly , that patients with certain psychological characteristics were selected to the clinical trial ; secondly , that the MHLCS scores could not explain the clinical improvement , but it may have been influenced by the patients ' beliefs in ordinary and ' alternative ' forms of treatment ; and thirdly , that dietary treatment decreased psychological distress Aims The aim of this study was to compare the effects of calorie-restricted vegetarian and conventional diabetic diets alone and in combination with exercise on insulin resistance , visceral fat and oxidative stress markers in subjects with Type 2 diabetes . Methods A 24-week , r and omized , open , parallel design was used . Seventy-four patients with Type 2 diabetes were r and omly assigned to either the experimental group ( n = 37 ) , which received a vegetarian diet , or the control group ( n = 37 ) , which received a conventional diabetic diet . Both diets were isocaloric , calorie restricted ( -500 kcal/day ) . All meals during the study were provided . The second 12 weeks of the diet were combined with aerobic exercise . Participants were examined at baseline , 12 weeks and 24 weeks . Primary outcomes were : insulin sensitivity measured by hyperinsulinaemic isoglycaemic clamp ; volume of visceral and subcutaneous fat measured by magnetic resonance imaging ; and oxidative stress measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances . Analyses were by intention to treat . Results Forty-three per cent of participants in the experimental group and 5 % of participants in the control group reduced diabetes medication ( P < 0.001 ) . Body weight decreased more in the experimental group than in the control group [ –6.2 kg ( 95 % CI –6.6 to –5.3 ) vs. –3.2 kg ( 95 % CI –3.7 to –2.5 ) ; interaction group × time P = 0.001 ] . An increase in insulin sensitivity was significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group [ 30 % ( 95 % CI 24.5–39 ) vs. 20 % ( 95 % CI 14–25 ) , P = 0.04 ] . A reduction in both visceral and subcutaneous fat was greater in the experimental group than in the control group ( P = 0.007 and P = 0.02 , respectively ) . Plasma adiponectin increased ( P = 0.02 ) and leptin decreased ( P = 0.02 ) in the experimental group , with no change in the control group . Vitamin C , superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione increased in the experimental group ( P = 0.002 , P < 0.001 and P = 0.02 , respectively ) . Differences between groups were greater after the addition of exercise training . Changes in insulin sensitivity and enzymatic oxidative stress markers correlated with changes in visceral fat . Conclusions A calorie-restricted vegetarian diet had greater capacity to improve insulin sensitivity compared with a conventional diabetic diet over 24 weeks . The greater loss of visceral fat and improvements in plasma concentrations of adipokines and oxidative stress markers with this diet may be responsible for the reduction of insulin resistance . The addition of exercise training further augmented the improved outcomes with the vegetarian diet BACKGROUND Dietary fat type is known to modulate the plasma lipid profile , but its effects on plasma homocysteine and inflammatory markers are unclear . OBJECTIVE We investigated the effects of high-protein Malaysian diets prepared with palm olein , coconut oil ( CO ) , or virgin olive oil on plasma homocysteine and selected markers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) in healthy adults . DESIGN A r and omized-crossover intervention with 3 dietary sequences of 5 wk each was conducted in 45 healthy subjects . The 3 test fats , namely palmitic acid (16:0)-rich palm olein ( PO ) , lauric and myristic acid ( 12:0 + 14:0)-rich CO , and oleic acid (18:1)-rich virgin olive oil ( OO ) , were incorporated at two-thirds of 30 % fat calories into high-protein Malaysian diets . RESULTS No significant differences were observed in the effects of the 3 diets on plasma total homocysteine ( tHcy ) and the inflammatory markers TNF-α , IL-1β , IL-6 , and IL-8 , high-sensitivity C-reactive protein , and interferon-γ . Diets prepared with PO and OO had comparable nonhypercholesterolemic effects ; the postpr and ial total cholesterol for both diets and all fasting lipid indexes for the OO diet were significantly lower ( P < 0.05 ) than for the CO diet . Unlike the PO and OO diets , the CO diet was shown to decrease postpr and ial lipoprotein(a ) . CONCLUSION Diets that were rich in saturated fatty acids prepared with either PO or CO , and an OO diet that was high in oleic acid , did not alter postpr and ial or fasting plasma concentrations of tHcy and selected inflammatory markers . This trial was registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT00941837 Background Adherence to the Mediterranean diet ( MD ) is associated with reduced morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease . However , how the MD exerts its effects is not fully known . Aim To assess the 12-month effects of two enhanced MDs compared to a low-fat diet on inflammatory biomarkers related to atherosclerosis and plaque vulnerability in a subcohort of the PREDIMED ( Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea ) study . Methods A total of 164 participants at high risk for cardiovascular disease were r and omized into three diet groups : MD supplemented with 50mL/d of extra virgin olive oil ( MD+EVOO ) or 30 g/d of nuts ( MD+Nuts ) and a low-fat diet . Changes in classical cardiovascular risk factors , inflammatory biomarkers of atherosclerosis and plaque vulnerability were measured after 12 months of intervention . Results Compared to participants in the low-fat diet group , those receiving MD+EVOO and MD+Nuts showed a higher decrease in systolic ( 6mmHg ) and diastolic ( 3mmHg ) blood pressure ( P = 0.02 ; both ) , as well as a reduction of 10 % and 8 % in LDL-cholesterol ( P = 0.04 ) , respectively . Patients in the MD+Nuts group showed a significant reduction of 34 % in CD40 expression on monocyte surface compared to low-fat diet patients ( P = 0.03 ) . In addition , inflammatory biomarkers related to plaque instability such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were reduced by 45 % and 35 % and 95 % and 90 % in the MD+EVOO and MD+Nuts groups , respectively ( P<0.05 ; all ) compared to the low-fat diet group . Likewise , sICAM and P-selectin were also reduced by 50 % and 27 % , respectively in the MD+EVOO group ( P = 0.04 ) and P-selectin by 19 % in MD+Nuts group ( P = 0.04 ) compared to the low-fat diet group . Conclusions Adherence to the MD is associated with an increase in serum markers of atheroma plaque stability which may explain , at least in part , the protective role of MD against ischemic heart disease . Trial Registration www.controlled-trials.com IS RCT OBJECTIVE —To determine the effects of soy consumption on markers of inflammation and endothelial function in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome . RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —This r and omized cross-over clinical trial included 42 postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome . Participants were r and omly assigned to consume a control diet ( Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [ DASH ] ) , soy protein diet , or soy nut diet , each for 8 weeks . Red meat in the DASH diet ( one serving/day ) was replaced by soy protein in the soy protein diet and by soy nut in the soy nut diet . RESULTS —For nitric oxide levels , the difference from the control diet was 9.8 % ( P < 0.01 ) on the soy nut and −1.7 % ( P = 0.10 ) on the soy protein diets . The difference from the control diet for serum E-selectin was −11.4 % ( P < 0.01 ) on the soy nut consumption and −4.7 % ( P = 0.19 ) on the soy protein diet . Soy nut consumption reduced interleukin-18 compared with the control diet ( difference from the control diet : −9.2 % , P < 0.01 ) , but soy protein did not ( difference from the control diet : −4.6 % , P = 0.14 ) . For C-reactive protein , the difference from the control diet was −8.9 % ( P < 0.01 ) on the soy nut diet and −1.6 % ( P < 0.01 ) on the soy protein diet . CONCLUSIONS —Short-term soy nut consumption reduced some markers of inflammation and increased plasma nitric oxide levels in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome Aging is associated with increasing levels of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress , both of which contribute to the progression of cardiovascular disease . Attenuation of such processes via dietary intervention has significant public health implication s. Soyfoods , as a source of high- quality protein and isoflavones , may improve such indices , although such effects in healthy aging women are not well delineated . The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that 4 weeks of daily soymilk consumption would improve systemic markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in postmenopausal women when compared with a dairy control . In September 2009 , a single-blind , r and omized , controlled trial was conducted on 31 postmenopausal women at Baylor University , Waco , Tex . Subjects were r and omly assigned to consume 3 servings of vanilla soy ( n = 16 ) or reduced fat dairy ( n = 15 ) milk per day for 4 weeks . Plasma markers of inflammation ( tumor necrosis factor alpha [ TNF-alpha ] , interleukin [IL]-1beta , IL-6 ) and oxidative stress ( superoxide dismutase [ SOD ] , glutathione peroxidase [ GPx ] , cyclooxygenase-2 [ COX-2 ] ) were obtained before and after supplementation . No significant differences were observed for any of the plasma inflammatory ( TNF-alpha , P = .08 ; IL-1beta , P = .14 ; IL-6 , P = .26 ) or oxidative stress ( SOD , P = .68 ; GPx , P = .58 ; COX-2 , P = .99 ) variables by dietary treatment group . Despite good dietary compliance , our study failed to show a significant effect of soymilk consumption on markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in this postmenopausal female population . Potential reasons for this nonsignificant finding are discussed , and future research directions are presented The beneficial effect of a 1-yr vegetarian diet in RA has recently been demonstrated in a clinical trial . We have analysed stool sample s of the 53 RA patients by using direct stool sample gas-liquid chromatography of bacterial cellular fatty acids . Based on repeated clinical assessment s disease improvement indices were constructed for the patients . At each time point during the intervention period the patients in the diet group were then assigned either to a group with a high improvement index ( HI ) or a group with a low improvement index ( LI ) . Significant alteration in the intestinal flora was observed when the patients changed from omnivorous to vegan diet . There was also a significant difference between the periods with vegan and lactovegetarian diets . The faecal flora from patients with HI and LI differed significantly from each other at 1 and 13 months during the diet . This finding of an association between intestinal flora and disease activity may have implication s for our underst and ing of how diet can affect RA Objective : To assess the mechanisms of the blood pressure-lowering effect of a vegetarian diet in the early and later stages of dietary intervention Design : After 2 weeks without intervention ( baseline ) , 20 normotensive men were matched for age and body mass index and r and omly allocated to an omnivorous ( control ) or a lacto-ovovegetarian diet for 6 weeks in a parallel trial Methods : Ambulatory blood pressures were recorded between 0800 and 1700 h on alternate days during the first week of intervention , twice in the second week and weekly thereafter . Blood sample s collected after a st and ard breakfast were analysed for plasma noradrenaline , adrenaline , atrial natriuretic peptide ( ANP ) , renin , aldosterone , glucose and insulin . Factor and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the association among neurohormonal factors , blood pressures and diet . Results were analysed for the first week of the diet and for the entire 6 weeks Results : Ambulatory blood pressures at work were lower on the vegetarian diet than in the controls . This blood pressure decrease was associated with a factor representing lower plasma catecholamine and renin activity levels throughout the study , and a factor representing reduced plasma glucose and insulin levels in week 1 of intervention only . Plasma ANP levels were significantly higher during week 1 of the vegetarian diet Conclusions : A blood pressure lowering effect of a vegetarian diet during normal working activity was shown . Using factors derived from the biochemical variables , results were in keeping with the hypothesis that these effects may be mediated by reduced sympatho-adrenal activity consequent to altered glucose and insulin h and ling . An early increase in plasma ANP may contribute to the blood pressure Plants are rich natural sources of antioxidants in addition to other nutrients . Interventions and cross sectional studies on subjects consuming uncooked vegan diet called living food ( LF ) have been carried out . We have clarified the efficacy of LF in rheumatoid diseases as an example of a health problem where inflammation is one of the main concerns . LF is an uncooked vegan diet and consists of berries , fruits , vegetables and roots , nuts , germinated seeds and sprouts , i.e. rich sources of carotenoids , vitamins C and E. The subjects eating LF showed highly increased levels of beta and alfa carotenes , lycopen and lutein in their sera . Also the increases of vitamin C and vitamin E ( adjusted to cholesterol ) were statistically significant . As the berry intake was 3-fold compared to controls the intake of polyphenolic compounds like quercetin , myricetin and kaempherol was much higher than in the omnivorous controls . The LF diet is rich in fibre , substrate of lignan production , and the urinary excretion of polyphenols like enterodiol and enterolactone as well as secoisolaricirecinol were much increased in subjects eating LF . The shift of fibromyalgic subjects to LF result ed in a decrease of their joint stiffness and pain as well as an improvement of their self-experienced health . The rheumatoid arthritis patients eating the LF diet also reported similar positive responses and the objective measures supported this finding . The improvement of rheumatoid arthritis was significantly correlated with the day-to-day fluctuation of subjective symptoms . In conclusion the rheumatoid patients subjectively benefited from the vegan diet rich in antioxidants , lactobacilli and fibre , and this was also seen in objective measures Background Nutrition is able to alter the cardiovascular health of the general population . However , the optimal dietary strategy for cardiovascular disease prevention is still far from being defined . Mediterranean and vegetarian diets are those reporting the greatest grade of evidence in the literature , but no experimental studies comparing these two dietary patterns are available . Methods / design This is an open r and omized crossover clinical trial including healthy subjects with a low-to-medium cardiovascular risk profile , characterized by being overweight and by the presence of at least an additional metabolic risk factor ( abdominal obesity , high total cholesterol , high LDL cholesterol , high triglycerides , impaired glucose fasting levels ) but free from medications . A total of 100 subjects will be included and r and omly assigned to two groups : Mediterranean calorie-restricted diet ( n = 50 ) and vegetarian calorie-restricted diet ( n = 50 ) . The intervention phases will last 3 months each , and at the end of intervention phase I the groups will be crossed over . The two diets will be isocaloric and of three different sizes ( 1400 – 1600 – 1800 kcal/day ) , according to specific energy requirements . Adherence to the dietary intervention will be established through question naires and 24-h dietary recall . Anthropometric measurements , body composition , blood sample s and stool sample s will be obtained from each participant at the beginning and at the end of each intervention phase . The primary outcome measure will be change in weight from baseline . The secondary outcome measures will be variations of anthropometric and bioelectrical impedance variables as well as traditional and innovative cardiovascular biomarkers . Discussion Despite all the data supporting the efficacy of Mediterranean and vegetarian diets on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases , no studies have directly compared these two dietary profiles . The trial will test whether there are statistically significant differences between these dietary profiles in reducing the cardiovascular risk burden for the general population .Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov Objectives To investigate the effects of a Mediterranean type diet on patients with osteoarthritis ( OA ) . Participants Ninety-nine volunteers with OA ( aged 31 - 90 years ) completed the study ( 83 % female ) . Setting Southeast of Engl and , UK . Design Participants were r and omly allocated to the dietary intervention ( DIET , n = 50 ) or control ( CON , n = 49 ) . The DIET group were asked to follow a Mediterranean type diet for 16 weeks whereas the CON group were asked to follow their normal diet . Measurements All participants completed an Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale ( AIMS 2 ) pre- , mid- and post- study period . A subset of participants attended a clinic at the start and end of the study for assessment of joint range of motion , ROM ( DIET = 33 , CON = 28 ) , and to provide blood sample s ( DIET = 29 , CON = 25 ) for biomarker analysis ( including serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein ( sCOMP ) ( a marker of cartilage degradation ) and a panel of other relevant biomarkers including pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines ) . Results There were no differences between groups in the response of any AIMS 2 components and most biomarkers ( p > 0.05 ) , except the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1α , which decreased in the DIET group ( ~47 % , p = 0.010 ) . sCOMP decreased in the DIET group by 1 U/L ( ~8 % , p = 0.014 ) . There was a significant improvement in knee flexion and hip rotation ROM in the DIET group ( p < 0.05 ) . Conclusions The average reduction in sCOMP in the DIET group ( 1 U/L ) represents a meaningful change , but the longer term effects require further study OBJECTIVES To assess the impact of a personalized diet , with or without addition of VSL#3 preparation , on biomarkers of inflammation , nutrition , oxidative stress and intestinal microbiota in 62 healthy persons aged 65 - 85 years . DESIGN Open label , r and omized , multicenter study . PRIMARY ENDPOINT High-sensitivity C-reactive protein . SETTING Community . INTERVENTIONS Eight week web-based dietary advice ( RISTOMED platform ) alone or with supplementation of VSL#3 ( 2 capsules per day ) . The RISTOMED diet was optimized to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress . MEASUREMENTS Blood and stool sample s were collected on days 1 and 56 . RESULTS Diet alone reduced ESR ( p = 0.02 ) , plasma levels of cholesterol ( p < 0.01 ) and glucose ( p = 0.03 ) . Addition of VSL#3  reduced ESR ( p = 0.05 ) and improved folate ( p = 0.007 ) , vitamin B12 ( p = 0.001 ) and homocysteine ( p < 0.001 ) plasma levels . Neither intervention demonstrated any further effects on inflammation . Subgroup analysis showed 40 participants without signs of low- grade inflammation ( hsCRP<3 mg/l , subgroup 1 ) and 21 participants with low- grade inflammation at baseline ( hsCRP≥3 mg/l , subgroup 2 ) . In subgroup 2 addition of VSL#3  increased bifidobacteria ( p = 0.005 ) in more participants and improved both folate ( p = 0.015 ) and vitamin B12 ( p = 0.035 ) levels compared with subgroup 1 . The increases were positively correlated to the change in the bifidobacteria concentration for folate ( p = 0.023 ) and vitamin B12 ( p = 0.001 ) . As expected change in homocysteine correlated negatively to change in folate ( r = -0.629 , p = 0.002 ) and vitamin B12 ( r = -0.482 , p = 0.026 ) . CONCLUSIONS Addition of VSL#3  increased bifidobacteria and supported adequate folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in subjects with low- grade inflammation . Decrease in homocysteine with VSL#3 was clinical ly relevant . suggesting protective potentials for aging-associated conditions , e.g. cardiovascular or neurological diseases . Clinical Trials.gov : NCT01069445-NCT01179789 In a cross-over experiment the effect of  short-term vegetarianism  on serum lipids , lipoproteins and apoproteins was studied . The experimental diet was free of animal products , with the exception of skim milk , and consequently low in saturated fat and cholesterol . Fifteen free-living individuals were r and omly assigned to 3-week periods on either the experimental diet or a control diet which closely approximated the usual intake in the U.S.A. Significant reductions in total cholesterol ( 12.5 % ) , low density lipoprotein cholesterol ( 14.7 % ) , and apo B ( 13.2 % ) were observed , accompanied by a non-significant decrease in high density lipoprotein cholesterol ( 10 % ) , apo A-I ( 3 % ) and a non-significant increase in apo-II ( 4 % ) . These data suggest that a fat-modified diet low in total fat , saturated fat and cholesterol , and moderate ( not high ) in polyunsaturated fat may not lower HDL-C or its apoproteins as much as a diet high in polyunsaturated fat , while having similar effects on LDL-C , and would therefore be preferable as the basis for primary prevention of atherosclerosis
The meta- analysis provides evidence that vegetarianism is associated with lower serum concentrations of hs-CRP when individuals follow a vegetarian diet for at least 2 years .
A vegetarian diet might be a useful approach to manage inflammaging in the long term
OBJECTIVE Vegetarian diets contain various anti-inflammatory components .
We aim ed to investigate the effects of  vegetarianism  on inflammatory biomarkers when compared with  omnivores .