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. 2020 Oct 5;16(6):753-764.
doi: 10.1177/1559827620962458. eCollection 2022 Nov-Dec.

Once-Daily Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) Smoothie or the Full LIFE Diet Lowers C-Reactive Protein and Raises Plasma Beta-Carotene in 7 Days

Brittany Perzia  1   2   3   4 , Gui-Shuang Ying  1   2   3   4 , Joshua L Dunaief  1   2   3   4 , David M Dunaief  1   2   3   4
Affiliations

Once-Daily Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) Smoothie or the Full LIFE Diet Lowers C-Reactive Protein and Raises Plasma Beta-Carotene in 7 Days

Brittany Perzia et al. Am J Lifestyle Med. .

Abstract

Serum C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, is associated with increased risk for numerous inflammation-driven chronic diseases. A prior longitudinal study showed that the Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) diet, which is rich in dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV), lowered CRP over a mean follow-up period of 6 months. In this retrospective study, we investigate whether patients who consume the LIFE diet or their regular diet plus one component of the LIFE diet (LIFE smoothie), experience reductions in high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in 7 days. Sixteen patients in a community practice met inclusion criteria. Patient compliance was assessed by patient interviews and measurements of beta-carotene, which is abundant in DGLV. Following the interventions, CRP decreased in both the LIFE diet (-0.47 mg/L, P = .02) and smoothie groups (-1.2 mg/L, P = .04). No statistically significant difference in reduction was observed between groups (P = .18). Plasma beta-carotene increased in both groups (+23.2, P = .02; +20.6, P = .006, respectively). These findings suggest that the LIFE diet or a regular American diet supplemented with the LIFE smoothie may quickly reduce systemic inflammation and the risk of many chronic diseases.

Keywords: C-reactive protein; CRP; CVD; DGLV; WFPBD; beta-carotene; cardiovascular disease; dark green leafy vegetables; whole food plant-based diet.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Boxplots and line plots for the distribution of C-reactive protein (CRP) at baseline and day 7 in the LIFE diet and smoothie groups. For the purposes of maintaining the scale of the graph, we excluded one outlier in the smoothie group. Statistical analysis was performed using a 2-sample t test.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Boxplots and line plots for the distribution of beta-carotene at baseline and day 7 in the LIFE diet and smoothie groups. Statistical analysis was performed using a 2-sample t test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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