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Nutrients
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Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Metabolic Health
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Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Metabolic Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2026 | Viewed by 2250

Editors

Dr. Sing-Chung Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
Interests: plant-based nutrition; inflammation; metabolic health; obesity; type 2 diabetes; gut microbiota; polyphenols; dietary fiber; functional foods; nutrigenomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Chiao-Ming Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Nutraceutical Biotechnology, Shih Chien University, Taipei 10462, Taiwan
Interests: clinical nutrition; early childhood nutrition; health food; efficacy evaluation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chronic low-grade inflammation is a key pathophysiological mechanism underlying metabolic disorders, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. Accumulating evidence indicates that plant-based diets—rich in dietary fiber, polyphenols, unsaturated fatty acids, and other bioactive compounds—can modulate inflammatory pathways and improve metabolic outcomes.

This Special Issue, Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Metabolic Health, aims to highlight recent advances in understanding how plant-based dietary patterns and plant-derived foods influence inflammation and metabolic health. We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses addressing molecular mechanisms, clinical and epidemiological evidence, and translational applications. Topics of interest include inflammation-related biomarkers, gut microbiota modulation, nutrigenomics and metabolomics, functional plant foods, and dietary interventions targeting metabolic diseases.

This Special Issue seeks to provide integrated insights that support evidence-based dietary strategies for the prevention and management of inflammation-related metabolic disorders.

Dr. Sing-Chung Li
Dr. Chiao-Ming Chen
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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

  • plant-based diet
  • inflammation
  • metabolic health
  • obesity
  • type 2 diabetes
  • gut microbiota
  • polyphenols
  • dietary fiber
  • functional foods
  • nutrigenomics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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22 pages, 446 KB  
Article
Impact of Adherence to a Plant-Based Residential Lifestyle Medicine Program on Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors
by Aysha Inankur, Daniel O’Hare, Esteban Arevalo, Ruben Dursus-Élisée, Lyndetta P. Schwartz and Samara R. Sterling
Nutrients 2026, 18(11), 1683; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18111683 - 25 May 2026
Viewed by 526
Abstract
Background: Residential lifestyle medicine programs have documented immediate and long-term improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors. Despite this, adherence among participants varies in such programs, limiting the positive outcomes that can be achieved. This study aimed to assess how adherence to positive lifestyle behaviors [...] Read more.
Background: Residential lifestyle medicine programs have documented immediate and long-term improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors. Despite this, adherence among participants varies in such programs, limiting the positive outcomes that can be achieved. This study aimed to assess how adherence to positive lifestyle behaviors correlates with cardiometabolic risk factors at the end of a residential lifestyle medicine program and at three or more months of follow-up. Methods: Patients enrolled in a NEWSTART® lifestyle medicine program were invited to participate in this prospective chart review. Outcomes included changes in BMI, blood pressure, medication and supplement use, cardiometabolic disease biomarkers, Mediterranean eating pattern, meat intake, and other lifestyle behaviors. Results: Among 109 adults (78% female; 62% overweight or obese) enrolled in a 6- to 39-day (mean 14.5-day) residential intervention, meat intake reduced by 3.2 servings/week, MEPA III scores increased by 2.3, water intake increased by 2.1 glasses/day, and exercise increased by 193 min/week (all p < 0.01). From baseline to end of program, reductions were noted in blood glucose (−5.3 mg/dL, p = 0.01), total cholesterol (−16.0 mg/dL, p < 0.01), LDL cholesterol (−11.0 mg/dL, p < 0.01), HDL cholesterol (−2.0 mg/dL, p < 0.01), triglycerides (−13 mg/dL, p < 0.01), serum creatinine (−0.03 mg/dL, p = 0.049), systolic blood pressure (−6.0 mmHg, p < 0.01), diastolic blood pressure (−3.0 mmHg, p = 0.01), and weight (−3.2 kg, p < 0.01). At a mean of 8.6 months follow-up, reductions in triglycerides (14.9 mg/dL, p = 0.03) and weight (2.8 kg, p < 0.01) from baseline were sustained, and water intake increased 20% from baseline (1.1 glasses/day, p = 0.01). Improved adherence to a Mediterranean eating pattern score, increase in water intake and reductions in meat intake and BMI predicted favorable health outcomes. Conclusions: Participation in the lifestyle medicine program was associated with improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors during intervention and at follow-up. These outcomes correlated with adherence to positive lifestyle behaviors. Sustained weight reduction as well as dietary and cardiometabolic improvements in our participants suggest the NEWSTART® intervention may hold promise for maintaining cardiometabolic health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Metabolic Health)
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23 pages, 6401 KB  
Article
Jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) Modulates Intestinal Inflammation, Liver Homeostasis, and Brain Gene Expression Along the Gut–Liver–Brain Axis in a DSS-Induced In Vivo Model
by Stephanie Michelin Santana Pereira, Vinícius Parzanini Brilhante de São José, Melissa Y. Huang, Lívya Alves Oliveira, Kelly Aparecida Dias, Júlia D’Almeida Francisquini, Italo Tuler Perrone, Ceres Mattos Della Lucia and Elad Tako
Nutrients 2026, 18(6), 903; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18060903 - 12 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1226
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) is widely used to induce intestinal injury, reducing intestinal barrier integrity and thus contributing to systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, which may affect liver homeostasis and central nervous system function. In this context, the intake of phenolic compounds [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) is widely used to induce intestinal injury, reducing intestinal barrier integrity and thus contributing to systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, which may affect liver homeostasis and central nervous system function. In this context, the intake of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins from fruits such as jabuticaba has gained attention due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study evaluated the effects of jabuticaba in the form of freeze-dried whole fruit, freeze-dried peel, and microencapsulated peel extract on DSS-induced damage to the gut–liver–brain axis in an in ovo model. Methods: Fertile eggs were assigned to five groups: water, DSS, DSS plus whole jabuticaba (WJ), DSS plus jabuticaba peel (JP), and DSS plus microencapsulated jabuticaba peel (JM). Duodenal, colon, and liver gene expressions; and histomorphometry, cecal microbiota, and brain gene expressions were evaluated at hatch. Results: DSS administration increased NF-κB expression and reduced MUC-2 in the duodenum, induced colonic inflammation, altered cecal microbiota, and caused hepatic oxidative stress, evidenced by elevated iNOS and enlarged fat globules, while reducing brain BDNF levels. Jabuticaba treatments mitigated intestinal, hepatic, and neural damage by reducing inflammatory markers; enhancing MUC-2, ZO-2, JAM-2, and claudin-1 expression; increasing villus area and goblet cell numbers; normalizing CAT and SOD activities in the liver; decreasing COX-2; increasing dopamine; and restoring BDNF in the brain. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that jabuticaba exerts protective effects along the gut–liver–brain axis, highlighting its potential as a functional food to support intestinal, hepatic, and brain health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Metabolic Health)
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