Dietary Patterns, Oxidative Stress, and Early Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Comparing...

Dietary habits influenced by lifestyle and cultural factors play a critical role in health by modulating oxidative stress and inflammation. While diets offer significant benefits, they may also pose risks, such as nutrient deficiencies, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach. Exploring Mediterranean and plant-based diet effects on oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers may help improve health outcomes and disease prevention strategies.

This study analyzed 65 studies following PRISMA guidelines to evaluate the effects of Mediterranean and plant-based diets on biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in healthy individuals.

The Mediterranean diet was weakly associated with reductions in oxidative stress markers, including MDA (ROM: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.57-1.13; p = 0.2092) and 8OHdG (ROM: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.59-1.11; p = 0.1847), as well as inflammation markers such as CRP (ROM: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.42-1.23; p = 0.1545) and IL-6 (ROM: 1.23; 95% CI: 0.97-1.55; p = 0.08). The vegetarian diet significantly reduced CRP (ROM: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.69-0.98; p = 0.0297), while the vegan diet showed a borderline reduction (ROM: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.56-1.17; p = 0.2544), suggesting lower systemic inflammation compared to omnivorous diets.

Although all three diets demonstrate potential in reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, the antioxidant effects-especially for the Mediterranean diet-are lower than anticipated, indicating alternative mechanisms. Further research is essential to confirm these findings and clarify the underlying mechanisms to enhance preventive health strategies.