Effects of dietary whole grain, fruit, and vegetables on weight and inflammatory biomarkers in overweight and obese women

Abstract

PURPOSE: The separate effects of whole grain (WG) and fruit and vegetable (F&V) diets on inflammatory biomarkers have not been assessed. Therefore, we evaluated these two high-fiber diets in relation to inflammation indices in obese and overweight women. STUDY DESIGN: Parallel randomized clinical trial. METHODS: In the present study, 75 women were recruited and randomly assigned to three diet groups: a whole grain diet (WG-D) group, F&V group, and a combined whole grain and F&V diet group (WGFV-D) for 10 weeks. As a "feeding trial" all participants were asked to visit the clinic daily and eat prescribed foods in the presence of a nutritionist. Anthropometric indices and biochemical biomarkers were measured at baseline and after 10 weeks of the trial. RESULTS: Each of the three diet groups showed significant changes in serum biomarkers (CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-6, D-dimer, and serum fibrinogen) after following the diet for 10 weeks (P = 0.01). In adjusted models, significant changes were observed for CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-6, D-dimer, and serum fibrinogen (P = 0.01). In a model adjusted for malondialdehyde (MDA) level, a trend toward significance was observed (P = 0.05). Consumption of all three different diets for 10 weeks showed statistically significant change for all biomarkers (P < 0.05) the most notable changes in inflammatory indices were observed among participants following the WG diet. CONCLUSIONS: Study results indicate that consumption of high-fiber diets, especially the WG diet, can help lower inflammatory levels and prevent subsequent adverse health consequences. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, randomized controlled trial.