Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33303765›Full record

SynthesisScientific reports2020

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the associations of vegan and vegetarian diets with inflammatory biomarkers.

Juliane Menzel, Afraa Jabakhanji, Ronald Biemann, Knut Mai, Klaus Abraham, Cornelia Weikert

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readComparative StudyMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07728877 (A Culture-tailored Plant-based Dietary Intervention in Taiwan), which is not on this map. Cited by 81 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
81citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
9.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07728877 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

A Culture-tailored Plant-based Dietary Intervention in Taiwan: A Pilot Randomized Crossover Feasibility Trial With Preliminary Inflammatory and Metabolic Outcomes

TypeinterventionalSponsorTzu Chi UniversityRan2023 to 2023Enrolled30ConditionsHealthy, Dietary HabitsArmsPlant-Based Diet, General Diet
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

81 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Vegetarian and Vegan Diet in Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Pooled it
  12. Pooled it
  13. Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Trial
  16. Assessing the effects of alternative plant-based meatsJournal of nutritional science · 2022
    Trial
  17. Article
  18. Lifestyle Modification for the Management of Psoriatic Arthritis.American journal of lifestyle medicine · 2026
    Review
  19. Review
  20. Article

21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Juliane MenzelDepartment of Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany. Juliane.Menzel@bfr.bund.de.
Afraa JabakhanjiDepartment of Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
Ronald BiemannInstitute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Otto-Von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
Knut MaiDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Klaus AbrahamDepartment of Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
Cornelia WeikertDepartment of Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
Federal Institute for Risk Assessment · DEGerman Centre for Cardiovascular Research · DELeipzig University · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Plant-based diets like vegetarian or vegan diets might influence circulating levels of inflammatory biomarkers, thereby reducing the risk of chronic diseases. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the associations of veganism and vegetarianism with circulating inflammatory biomarkers in comparison to omnivores. Literature search was conducted in Pubmed and EMBASE until April 2020 and mean differences of biomarkers were assessed for: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-18 (IL-18), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 RA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-ɑ), E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), adiponectin, omentin-1 and resistin. Of initially identified 1073 publications, 21 cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Vegan diet was associated with lower levels of CRP compared to omnivores [mean difference - 0.54 mg/l, 95%-CI: - 0.79 to - 0.28, p < 0.0001]. This association was less pronounced in vegetarians [mean difference - 0.25 mg/l, 95%-CI: - 0.49 to 0.00, p = 0.05]. In patients with impaired kidney function, the association between vegetarian nutrition and CRP was much stronger with - 3.91 mg/l (95%-CI: - 5.23 to - 2.60; p < 0.0001). No substantial effects were observed for all other inflammatory biomarkers. Despite strong associations between CRP and a vegan or vegetarian diet were seen, further research is needed, as most inflammatory biomarkers were investigated only in single studies so far.

Indexed as

C-Reactive ProteinDiet, VeganDiet, VegetarianBiomarkersChronic DiseaseInflammationInflammation MediatorsInterleukin-18Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist ProteinInterleukin-6BiomarkersC-Reactive ProteinInflammation MediatorsInterleukin-18Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist ProteinInterleukin-6

Identifiers

PMID33303765
PMCPMC7730154
OpenAlexW3112627922

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.