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Nutrients
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Reducing the Burden of Chronic Diseases Through Plant-Based Diets
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Reducing the Burden of Chronic Diseases Through Plant-Based Diets

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 8989

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rami Salim Najjar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Interests: plant-based diets; cardiovascular disease; molecular biology; inflammation; oxidative stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Thomas Ziegler

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Nutrition and Health Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
2. Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Interests: plant-based diets; micronutrients; nutrition support; inflammation; metabolomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant-based diets have emerged as efficacious nutritional strategies in the treatment of various chronic diseases associated with lifestyle. These include cardiovasacular disease, obesity, diabetes, some cancers, and related conditions. However, research remains limited, and much more investigation is needed. The purpose of this Special Issue entitled “Reducing the Burden of Chronic Diseases Through Plant-Based Diets” is to provide a platform for research of high rigor that explores the effects of plant-based diets in various chronic diseases. This Special Issue focuses on clinical research with human subjects; however, epidemiological studies and comprehensive reviews are also welcome. While this Special Issue is focused on human research, preclinical animal and in vitro studies are also welcome if novel molecular mechanisms are elucidated.

Dr. Rami Salim Najjar
Prof. Dr. Thomas Ziegler
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vegan diet
  • vegetarian diet
  • cardiovascular disease
  • hypertension
  • obesity
  • cancer
  • diabetes
  • stroke
  • alzheimers disease
  • metabolic syndrome
  • polyphenols
  • phytochemicals
  • fiber

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

27 pages, 3043 KiB  
Review
Dos and Don’ts in Kidney Nutrition: Practical Considerations of a Panel of Experts on Protein Restriction and Plant-Based Diets for Patients Living with Chronic Kidney Disease
by Massimo Torreggiani, Carla Maria Avesani, Barbara Contzen, Adamasco Cupisti, Sylwia Czaja-Stolc, Claudia D’Alessandro, Liliana Garneata, Abril Gutiérrez, Françoise Lippi, Carmen Antonia Mocanu, Alice Sabatino and Giorgina Barbara Piccoli
Nutrients 2025, 17(12), 2002; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17122002 - 14 Jun 2025
Viewed by 767
Abstract
Dietary management is a pillar of chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment. While some rules are the same as dietary prescriptions for the general population and those suffering from other chronic diseases (energy intake, salt intake, avoidance of ultra-processed food and limited intake of [...] Read more.
Dietary management is a pillar of chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment. While some rules are the same as dietary prescriptions for the general population and those suffering from other chronic diseases (energy intake, salt intake, avoidance of ultra-processed food and limited intake of animal fats), in non-dialysis-dependent patients living with CKD, the specific focus is on protein intake. Low-protein diets (LPDs) and supplemented very low protein diets (sVLPDs) have been successfully employed to decrease the symptoms of people living with non-dialysis-dependent CKD, delay the progression of the disease and retard the need for dialysis. Randomized clinical trials have yielded conflicting results on efficacy, resulting in conflicting guidelines. Concerns about the risk of malnutrition (specifically when the main source of proteins is plant-derived), electrolyte imbalances, and energy intake, and the idea that adherence is difficult, jeopardize the use and wide application of LPDs and sVLPDs. That dietary management focuses mainly on nutrients while dietary quality occupies second place is also an erroneous concept that requires discussion. In September 2023, a group of experts composed of nephrologists and dieticians gathered in Frankfurt, Germany, to try to reconcile the different guideline indications and address most of the common doubts of final dispatchers to increase the prescription of “renal diets” and improve people living with CKD’s adherence to them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reducing the Burden of Chronic Diseases Through Plant-Based Diets)
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15 pages, 1047 KiB  
Review
Assessing the Roles of Retinol, Vitamin K2, Carnitine, and Creatine in Plant-Based Diets: A Narrative Review of Nutritional Adequacy and Health Implications
by David M. Goldman, Cassandra B. Warbeck, Robby Barbaro, Cyrus Khambatta and Matthew Nagra
Nutrients 2025, 17(3), 525; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17030525 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 7805
Abstract
Plant-based diets are associated with numerous health benefits, including reduced risks of chronic diseases. However, questions persist regarding the implications of lower dietary intakes of certain non-essential nutrients, such as retinol, vitamin K2, carnitine, and creatine, which are primarily found in animal-derived foods. [...] Read more.
Plant-based diets are associated with numerous health benefits, including reduced risks of chronic diseases. However, questions persist regarding the implications of lower dietary intakes of certain non-essential nutrients, such as retinol, vitamin K2, carnitine, and creatine, which are primarily found in animal-derived foods. This narrative review evaluates the roles of these nutrients in human physiology and examines whether their absence in plant-based diets is likely to impact health outcomes. Retinol requirements can be met through the consumption of provitamin A carotenoids in plant foods, even in individuals with reduced conversion efficiency. Endogenous synthesis adequately supports physiological needs for vitamin K2, and currently available evidence does not consistently demonstrate that dietary vitamin K2 provides additional benefits for bone or cardiovascular health. Carnitine and creatine levels may differ between individuals following omnivorous and plant-based diets, but these differences do not result in compromised muscle function, cognitive health, or metabolic outcomes. Current evidence does not indicate that the absence of these non-essential nutrients in plant-based diets adversely affects health or confers disadvantages compared to omnivorous diets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reducing the Burden of Chronic Diseases Through Plant-Based Diets)
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