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Nutrients Aug 2021Vegetarian dietary patterns provide health benefits for cardiovascular health; however, the studies examining the association of vegetarian diets with stroke incidence... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Vegetarian dietary patterns provide health benefits for cardiovascular health; however, the studies examining the association of vegetarian diets with stroke incidence showed inconsistent findings. We systematically evaluated the risk of incident stroke among vegetarians (diets excluding meat, poultry, fish, and seafood) compared among nonvegetarians. A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science was performed until 20 May 2021. Prospective cohort studies comparing the risk estimates for incident stroke between vegetarians and nonvegetarians were included. Of 398 articles identified in the database search, data from seven cohort studies (408 total stroke cases in 29,705 vegetarians and 13,026 total stroke cases in 627,728 nonvegetarians) were included. The meta-analysis revealed no significant association between adhering to the vegetarian dietary patterns and the risk of incident stroke (HR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.67-1.11; I = 68%, = 7). Subgroup analyses suggested that studies conducted in Asia and those with a mean baseline age of participants 50-65 years showed a lower risk of stroke in vegetarians. Moreover, no significant association between vegetarian diets and the risk of ischemic stroke (HR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.22-1.42; I = 82%, = 3) or hemorrhagic stroke (HR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.19-3.09; I = 85%, = 2) was found. To be conclusive, no strong relationship between vegetarian diets and the incidence of stroke was observed. Given the limited certainty of evidence from NutriGrade, future well-designed studies are warranted to provide solid evidence on this topic.
Topics: Aged; Cohort Studies; Diet; Diet, Vegetarian; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Stroke; Vegetarians
PubMed: 34578897
DOI: 10.3390/nu13093019 -
Nutrients Nov 2021Evidence on the impact of diet, alcohol, body-mass index (BMI), and physical activity on mortality due to cancer and other cancer-related outcomes is still scarce....
Evidence on the impact of diet, alcohol, body-mass index (BMI), and physical activity on mortality due to cancer and other cancer-related outcomes is still scarce. Herein, we reviewed the contribution of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study to the current state of the art on the role of these factors in cancer mortality. We identified 45 studies using a rapid systematic review methodology. Dietary factors associated with reduced cancer mortality included raw vegetable intake; dietary fiber intake; the Mediterranean diet; other dietary scores; other diet patterns including low meat eaters, vegetarians/vegans, or fish eaters; dietary intake (or biomarkers) of some vitamins (e.g., vitamin D, vitamin K2, or Vitamin C); and intake of lignans. Physical activity and following healthy lifestyle recommendations also reduced cancer mortality risk. In contrast, dietary factors associated with higher cancer mortality risk included poor diet quality, consumption of alcohol and soft drinks including juice, and, to a lesser extent, intake of some fatty acids. Excess weight and obesity also increased the risk of cancer mortality. The EPIC study holds valuable information on diet and lifestyle factors and offers a unique opportunity to identify key diet-related factors for cancer mortality prevention.
Topics: Adult; Alcohol Drinking; Body Mass Index; Diet; Diet, Healthy; Exercise; Female; Humans; Life Style; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 34959845
DOI: 10.3390/nu13124293 -
Nutrients Nov 2021Excessive adiposity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D), and dietary patterns are important determinants of weight status. Plant-based dietary patterns... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Excessive adiposity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D), and dietary patterns are important determinants of weight status. Plant-based dietary patterns (PBDs) are known for their therapeutic effects on T2D. The aim is to systematically review RCTs to investigate the effects of various PBDs compared to regular meat-eating diets (RMDs), in individuals who normally consume a RMD on body weight, BMI, and waist circumference in T2D. RCTs investigating PBDs and body weight, BMI, WC for ≥6 weeks in adults with T2D since 1980 were eligible for inclusion. Seven trials ( = 269) were included in the meta-analysis using random-effects models and expressed as MD (95%Cls). Compared to RMDs, PBDs significantly lowered body weight (-2.35 kg, 95% CI: -3.51, -1.19, < 0.001), BMI (-0.90 kg/m, 95% CI: -1.42, -0.38, = 0.001) and WC (-2.41 cm, 95% CI: -3.72, -1.09, < 0.001). PBDs alone significantly reduced body weight by 5.1% (-4.95 kg, 95% CI: -7.34, -2.55, < 0.001), BMI by 5.4% (-1.87 kg/m, 95% CI: -2.78, -0.95, < 0.001) and WC by 4.3%(-4.23, 95% CI: -6.38, -2.07, < 0.001). Interventions not limiting energy intake led to a significant reduction in body weight (-2.54 kg, 95% CI: -4.16, -0.92, < 0.005) and BMI (-0.91 kg/m, 95% CI: -1.56, -0.25, < 0.005). Trials ≥16 weeks had a pronounced reduction in body weight (-2.93 kg, 95% CI: -5.00, -0.87, = 0.005) and BMI (-1.13 kg/m, 95% CI: -1.89, -0.38, < 0.005). These findings provide evidence for the implementation of PBDs for better management of central adiposity in individuals with T2D.
Topics: Adiposity; Adult; Aged; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diet, Vegetarian; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Factors; Waist Circumference
PubMed: 34836356
DOI: 10.3390/nu13114099 -
Nutrients Jul 2020Long-term cancer survivors represent a sizeable portion of the population. Plant-based foods may enhance the prevention of cancer-related outcomes in these patients. We... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Long-term cancer survivors represent a sizeable portion of the population. Plant-based foods may enhance the prevention of cancer-related outcomes in these patients. We aimed to synthesize the current evidence regarding the impact of plant-based dietary patterns (PBDPs) on cancer-related outcomes in the general population and in cancer survivors. Considered outcomes included overall cancer mortality, cancer-specific mortality, and cancer recurrence. A rapid review was conducted, whereby 2234 original articles related to the topic were identified via Pubmed/Medline. We selected 26 articles, which were classified into studies on PBDPs and cancer outcomes at pre-diagnosis: vegan/vegetarian diet ( = 5), provegetarian diet ( = 2), Mediterranean diet ( = 13), and studies considering the same at post-diagnosis ( = 6). Pooled estimates of the associations between the aforementioned PBDPs and the different cancer outcomes were obtained by applying random effects meta-analysis. The few studies available on the vegetarian diet failed to support its prevention potential against overall cancer mortality when compared with a non-vegetarian diet (e.g., pooled hazard ratio (HR) = 0.97; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.88-1.06). The insufficient number of studies evaluating provegetarian index scores in relation to cancer mortality did not permit a comprehensive assessment of this association. The association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cancer mortality reached statistical significance (e.g., pooled HR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.79-0.89). However, no study considered the influence of prognostic factors on the associations. In contrast, post-diagnostic studies accounted for prognostic factors when assessing the chemoprevention potential of PBDPs, but also were inconclusive due to the limited number of studies on well-defined plant-based diets. Thus, whether plant-based diets before or after a cancer diagnosis prevent negative cancer-related outcomes needs to be researched further, in order to define dietary guidelines for cancer survivors.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Diet, Mediterranean; Diet, Vegetarian; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Recurrence; Young Adult
PubMed: 32640737
DOI: 10.3390/nu12072010 -
Nutrients May 2020The beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet on blood pressure (BP) control have been reported in previous systematic reviews; however, so far, their relative... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet on blood pressure (BP) control have been reported in previous systematic reviews; however, so far, their relative effectiveness is not well established. Here, we performed a systematic review together with trial sequential analysis to determine the effect of a vegetarian diet on the reduction of blood pressure. We searched the randomized controlled trial (RCT) through Medline, PubMed and Cochrane Central Register. Fifteen eligible RCTs with 856 subjects were entered into the analysis. The pooled results demonstrated that vegetarian diet consumption significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (weighted mean difference (WMD), -2.66 mmHg (95% confidence interval (CI) = -3.76, -1.55, < 0.001) and diastolic BP was WMD, -1.69 95% CI = -2.97, -0.41, < 0.001) as compared to an omnivorous diet. In subgroup analysis, a vegan diet demonstrated a greater reduction in systolic BP (WMD, -3.12 mm Hg; 95% CI = -4.54, -1.70, < 0.001) as compared with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (WMD, -1.75 mm Hg, 95% CI -5.38, 1.88, = 0.05). The vegan diet has showed a similar trend in terms of diastolic blood pressure reduction (WMD, -1.92 mm Hg (95% CI = -3.18, -0.66, < 0.001) but those with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet showed no changes in diastolic BP reduction (WMD, 0.00, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.00), =0.432). In conclusion, vegetarian diets are associated with significant reductions in BP compared with omnivorous diets, suggesting that they may play a key role in the primary prevention and overall management of hypertension.
Topics: Blood Pressure; Diet, Vegetarian; Female; Humans; Hypertension; Male; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 32486102
DOI: 10.3390/nu12061604