The link between plant-based diet indices with biochemical markers of bone turn over, inflammation, and insulin in Iranian older adults

Abstract

Background: The association of plant-based diets and biomarkers of bone, insulin, and inflammation is still unclear. Objectives: We investigated the associations between biomarkers of bone, insulin, and inflammation and three plant-based diet indices: an overall plant-based diet index (PDI); a healthy plant-based diet index (hPDI); and an unhealthy plant-based diet index (uPDI). Methods: We included 178 elderly subjects who referred to health centers in Tehran. Blood and urine samples were collected to measure osteocalcin. The Human C-telopeptide of type Ⅰ collagen (u-CTX-I), highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), 25(OH) D, and insulin resistance and sensitivity. We created an overall PDI, hPDI, and uPDI from semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data. Results: Dietary groups of Vegetables (r =.15, p =.03), nuts (r =.16, p =.03), dairy (r =.25, p =.001), eggs (r =.27, p