A Dietitian-Led Vegan Program May Improve GlycA, and Other Novel and Traditional Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in...

Systematic inflammation and lipid profiles are two major therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases. The effect of a nutritionally balanced vegan diet on systematic inflammation and lipoprotein subclass awaits further examination.

To investigate the change in novel and traditional cardiometabolic risk factors before and after a dietitian-led vegan program, and to test the bioavailability of vitamin B12 in Taiwanese purple laver as part of a vegan diet.

A one-arm pilot intervention study.

Nine patients with dyslipidemia participated in this 12-week vegan program.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) detected GlycA signals (systematic inflammation) and lipoprotein subclass (atherogenicity); trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO); and other cardiometabolic risk factors.

Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

In this 12-week vegan intervention emphasizing whole foods, systematic inflammation improved as indicated by a reduction in GlycA (median: -23 μmol/L, p = 0.01). LDL-c (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) (median -24 mg/dl, p = 0.04) and LDL-p (low-density lipoprotein particles) (median -75 nmol/L, p = 0.02) both decreased significantly. VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein) and chylomicron particles showed a decreasing trend (-23.6 nmol/L, p = 0.05). Without caloric restriction, body mass index (BMI) (-0.7 kg/m², p = 0.03), waist circumferences (-2.0 cm, p < 0.001), HbA1c (-0.2%, p = 0.02), and (HOMA-IR) homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (-0.7, p = 0.04) have all improved. The change in the TMAO and vitamin B12 status as measured by holo-transcobalamin appeared to depend on baseline diets, TMAO, and vitamin B12 status.

A dietitian-led vegan program may improve systematic inflammation and other novel and traditional cardiometabolic risk factors in high-risk individuals.