Healthy Plant-Based Diet Linked to Lower Risk of Hospitalization for Infection

by | Nov 21, 2023 | Fruits and Vegetables, Respiratory Health, Vegetarianism

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Participants with the highest intake of a healthy plant-based diet had a 16% lower risk of respiratory infection hospitalization compared to those with the lowest healthy plant-based diet consumption. 

fruit and vegetablesPlant-based diets are growing in popularity and epidemiological and clinical data suggests that a whole-food plant-based diet can be adopted for the prevention of many diseases1. A standard Western diet typically consists of consumption of calorie-rich and highly processed foods, meats, and sweetened beverages2. In comparison, plant-based diets contain nutrient-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and legumes, with certain plant-based diets containing small amounts of animal products3.

The vitamins, macro-, micro-, and phytonutrients in plant-based diets, such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenolic compounds, confer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties4. Furthermore, plant-based diets contain components that promote cell survival and immune function, allowing defensive mechanisms to work effectively5. These dietary patterns exhibit direct antiviral properties and may improve natural killer cell functionality and activity6.

Kendrick et al. conducted an observational study to investigate the associations of plant-based diets, as well as healthy and unhealthy plant-based diet types, on the risk of hospitalization from common respiratory infections and overall infections. Data used was from The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, a community-based prospective cohort study including 15,792 middle-aged women and men aged 47 to 64 years at enrollment. The current analytic sample consisted of 11,955 adults that completed a 66-item, semi-quantitative Willett food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at visit 3.

Responses to the FFQ were used to build an overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthy plant-based diet index (HPDI) and a less healthy plant-based diet index (UPDI). Primary study outcomes were hospitalization with respiratory infection. Secondary outcomes were hospitalizations with any infectious illness. All participants self-reported hospital visits during semi-annual and annual telephone interviews and through surveillance of hospital discharges. Covariates included in the final analysis were race, age, sex, education level, income level, alcohol consumption, current tobacco use, and chronic respiratory disease history.

Subjects in the highest quintiles of PDI and HPDI consumed around 4.7 to 5.6 servings of fruits and vegetables daily and 1.2 to 1.4 servings of red meat per day. Additionally, they consumed higher amounts of micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, magnesium, and iron compared to those in the lower quintiles. Significant findings of the study are as follows:

  • A significant trend was observed for a lower risk of respiratory infection with a higher consumption of healthy plant-based foods (p < 0.001-0.037).
  • Subjects in the highest quintiles of unhealthy plant food intake had a 24% higher risk of hospitalization with respiratory infections (HR 1.24 [95% CI: 1.04, 1.48]) compared to those in the lowest quintiles.
  • All models for PDI and HPDI had a significant trend of lower risk of infection with higher consumption of plant foods and healthy plant foods (p < 0.001-0.006 and p < 0.001-0.009, respectively).

Results of the observational study using data from The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study shows that following healthy plant-based dietary patterns was associated with a lower risk of respiratory infections and overall infection risk. Study limitations include the potential for recall bias regarding self-reported dietary intake and the lack of including COVID-19 data in the analysis.

Source: Kendrick, Karla N., Hyunju Kim, Casey M. Rebholz, Elizabeth Selvin, Lyn M. Steffen, and Stephen P. Juraschek. “Plant-Based Diets and Risk of Hospitalization with Respiratory Infection: Results from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.” Nutrients 15, no. 19 (2023): 4265.

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted November 21, 2023.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

References:

  1. Szabo Z, Koczka V, Marosvolgyi T, et al. Possible Biochemical Processes Underlying the Positive Health Effects of Plant-Based Diets-A Narrative Review. Nutrients. Jul 28 2021;13(8)doi:10.3390/nu13082593
  2. Banaszak M, Górna I, Przysławski J. Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Insulin Resistance: Effective Intervention of Plant-Based Diets-A Critical Review. Nutrients. Mar 27 2022;14(7)doi:10.3390/nu14071400
  3. Khalid W, Arshad MS, Ranjha M, et al. Functional constituents of plant-based foods boost immunity against acute and chronic disorders. Open Life Sci. 2022;17(1):1075-1093. doi:10.1515/biol-2022-0104
  4. Wong CS, Lim CW, Mohammed HI, et al. Current Perspective of Plant-Based Diets on Communicable Diseases Caused by Viruses: A Mini Review. Front Nutr. 2022;9:786972. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.786972
  5. Koutentakis M, Surma S, Rogula S, Filipiak KJ, Gąsecka A. The Effect of a Vegan Diet on the Cardiovascular System. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. Feb 22 2023;10(3)doi:10.3390/jcdd10030094
  6. Storz MA. Lifestyle Adjustments in Long-COVID Management: Potential Benefits of Plant-Based Diets. Curr Nutr Rep. Dec 2021;10(4):352-363. doi:10.1007/s13668-021-00369-x