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Accepted manuscript

Effects of Plant-Based Diet on Metabolic Parameters, Liver and Kidney Steatosis: A Prospective Interventional Open-label Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2025

Begum Guler Senturk
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
Bengi Gurses
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
Ceren Soyturk
Affiliation:
Clinical Dietician, Koc University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Sidar Copur
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
Said Incir
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
Dimitrie Siriopol
Affiliation:
Department of Nephrology, “Saint John the New” County Hospital, Suceava, Romania
Nuri Baris Hasbal*
Affiliation:
Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
Murat Akyildiz
Affiliation:
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
Daniel H van Raalte
Affiliation:
Diabetes Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Mehmet Kanbay
Affiliation:
Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
*
Corresponding Author: Nuri Baris Hasbal, MD, Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Koc University School of Medicine, E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +905353500415
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Abstract

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This interventional single-center prospective open-label study aims to evaluate the effects of a vegan diet, compared to a vegetarian and omnivorous diet, on metabolic parameters, insulin sensitivity, and liver and kidney steatosis in healthy adults. The study included 53 omnivorous participants aged 18-40 years, body-mass index 18-30 kg/m2, without any chronic disease, chronic medication use, active smoking, or significant alcohol consumption. All participants were omnivorous at baseline and selected to continue an omnivorous diet or transition to a vegetarian or vegan diet, with follow-up over six months. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters, and liver and kidney steatosis were assessed at baseline and after six months using magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF). Primary outcomes included changes in liver and kidney steatosis, while secondary outcomes were alterations in anthropometric and biochemical markers. Among 53 participants, 18 followed an omnivorous diet, 21 adopted a vegetarian diet, and 14 transitioned to a vegan diet. Dietary interventions did not result in statistically significant changes in body mass index, fat mass, fat percentage, or muscle mass over six months. However, statistically significant improvements in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, favoring the vegan diet, were observed. We aimed to control for potentially confounding variables to ensure the reliability of these findings. We have demonstrated a better decline in steatosis at the lower kidney pole, the total hilus and the Liver 6 index in vegans. We demonstrated that a plant-based diet is associated with improvements in several metabolic parameters and may reduce liver and kidney steatosis.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society