TABLE 5.
Overview of included studies reporting on biomarkers and significant differences between vegetarian- and non-vegetarian-based dietary patterns in intervention studies1
| Biomarker | Studies included | Differences between groups (significance, P < 0.05) |
|---|---|---|
| Lymphocytes (80) | 1 | NS |
| Monocytes (78) | 1 | NS |
| Monocytes (CD14+) (78) | 1 | NS |
| Pan T cells (CD3+) (78) | 1 | NS |
| T suppressor cells (CD8+) (78) | 1 | NS |
| T helper cells (CD4+) (78) | 1 | NS |
| NK cells (78) | 1 | NS |
| Leukocytes (74, 80) | 2 | ↓ in V group in 1/2 studies; NS 1/2 studies |
| Thrombocytes (74) | 1 | ↓ in V group in 1/1 studies |
| CRP (72–74, 76, 77, 79, 81) | 7 | ↓ in V group in 4/7; NS 3/7 studies |
| TNF-α (75) | 1 | NS |
| Fibrinogen (73) | 1 | NS |
| Interleukins | ||
| IL-6 (76) | 1 | NS |
| Immunoglobulins | ||
| IgM (75, 80) IgA (75, 80) IgG (75, 80) | 2 | ↓ in V group in 1/2 studies; ↑ within V group in 1/2 studies; NS ↓ in V group in 1/2 studies; NS 1/2 studies |
1
NS, not significant (P > 0.05); V, vegetarian-based.