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.