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Vegans and vegetarians often consume foods containing photosensitizers capable of triggering phytophotodermatitis. The potential effect of vegan and vegetarian diets on the response of psoriatic patients undergoing phototherapy is not well characterized. We assessed clinical outcomes of vegan, vegetarian and omnivore adult psoriatic patients undergoing band ultraviolet B phototherapy (NB-UVB). In this multicenter prospective observational study, we enrolled 119 adult, psoriatic patients, of whom 40 were omnivores, 41 were vegetarians and 38 were vegans, with phototherapy indication. After determining the minimum erythemal dose (MED), we performed NB-UVB sessions for 8 weeks. The first irradiation dosage was 70.00% of the MED, then increased by 20.00% (no erythema) or by 10.00% (presence of erythema) until a maximum single dose of 3 J/cm 2 was reached and constantly maintained. All the enrolled patients completed the 8 weeks of therapy. Severe erythema was present in 16 (42.11%) vegans, 7 (17.07%) vegetarians and 4 (10.00%) omnivores ( p < 0.01). MED was lowest among vegans (21.18 ± 4.85 J/m 2 ), followed by vegetarians (28.90 ± 6.66 J/m 2 ) and omnivores (33.63 ± 4.53 J/m 2 , p < 0.01). Patients with severe erythema were more likely to have a high furocumarin intake (OR 5.67, 95% CI 3.74-8.61, p < 0.01). Vegans consumed the highest amount of furocumarin-rich foods. A model examining erythema, adjusted for gender, age, skin type, MED, phototherapy type, number of phototherapies and furocumarin intake, confirmed that vegans had a lower number of treatments. Vegans had more frequent severe erythema from NB-UVB, even after adjustment of the phototherapy protocol for their lower MED. Assessing diet information and adapting the protocol for vegan patients may be prudent.

Scope: Flavanols are important polyphenols of the human diet with extensive demonstrations of their beneficial effects on cardiometabolic health. They contribute to preserve health acting on a large range of cellular processes. The underlying mechanisms of action of flavanols are not fully understood but involve a nutrigenomic regulation., Methods and Results: To further capture how the intake of dietary flavanols results in the modulation of gene expression, nutrigenomics data in response to dietary flavanols obtained from animal models of cardiometabolic diseases have been collected and submitted to a bioinformatics analysis. This systematic analysis shows that dietary flavanols modulate a large range of genes mainly involved in endocrine function, fatty acid metabolism, and inflammation. Several regulators of the gene expression have been predicted and include transcription factors, miRNAs and epigenetic factors., Conclusion: This review highlights the complex and multilevel action of dietary flavanols contributing to their strong potential to preserve cardiometabolic health. The identification of the potential molecular mediators and of the flavanol metabolites driving the nutrigenomic response in the target organs is still a pending question which the answer will contribute to optimize the beneficial health effects of dietary bioactives., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Plant-based diets rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols have been shown to positively modulate the risk of cardiometabolic (CM) diseases. The inter-individual variability in the response to these bioactives may affect the findings. This systematic review aimed to summarize findings from existing randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) on markers of CM health in humans. Literature searches were performed in PubMed and the Web of Science. RCTs on acute and chronic supplementation of HCA-rich foods/extracts on CM biomarkers were included. Forty-four RCTs (21 acute and 23 chronic) met inclusion criteria. Comparisons were made between RCTs, including assessments based on population health status. Of the 44 RCTs, only seven performed analyses on a factor exploring inter-individual response to HCA consumption. Results demonstrated that health status is a potentially important effect modifier as RCTs with higher baseline cholesterol, blood pressure and glycaemia demonstrated greater overall effectiveness, which was also found in studies where specific subgroup analyses were performed. Thus, the effect of HCAs on CM risk factors may be greater in individuals at higher CM risk, although future studies in these populations are needed, including those on other potential determinants of inter-individual variability. PROSPERO, registration number CRD42016050790.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and a growing healthcare problem. Identification of modifiable risk factors for prevention and treatment of COPD is urgent, and the scientific community has begun to pay close attention to diet as an integral part of COPD management, from prevention to treatment. This review summarizes the evidence from observational and clinical studies regarding the impact of nutrients and dietary patterns on lung function and COPD development, progression, and outcomes, with highlights on potential mechanisms of action. Several dietary options can be considered in terms of COPD prevention and/or progression. Although definitive data are lacking, the available scientific evidence indicates that some foods and nutrients, especially those nutraceuticals endowed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and when consumed in combinations in the form of balanced dietary patterns, are associated with better pulmonary function, less lung function decline, and reduced risk of COPD. Knowledge of dietary influences on COPD may provide health professionals with an evidence-based lifestyle approach to better counsel patients toward improved pulmonary health.

Objective: Epidemiology suggests that Mediterranean diets are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Because monocyte adhesion to the endothelium is crucial in early atherogenesis, we evaluated whether typical olive oil and red wine polyphenols affect endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule expression and monocyte adhesion., Methods and Results: Phytochemicals in olive oil and red wine, including oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, elenolic acid, and resveratrol, with or without antioxidant activity, were incubated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells for 30 minutes, followed by co-incubation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide or cytokines to trigger adhesion molecule expression. At nutritionally relevant concentrations, only oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and resveratrol, possessing a marked antioxidant activity, reduced monocytoid cell adhesion to stimulated endothelium, as well as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) mRNA and protein by Northern analysis and cell surface enzyme immunoassay. Reporter gene assays with deletional VCAM-1 promoter constructs indicated the relevance of nuclear factor-kappaB, activator protein-1, and possibly GATA binding sites in mediating VCAM-1 transcriptional inhibition. The involvement of nuclear factor-kappaB and activator protein-1 was finally demonstrated at electrophoretic mobility shift assays., Conclusions: Olive oil and red wine antioxidant polyphenols at nutritionally relevant concentrations transcriptionally inhibit endothelial adhesion molecule expression, thus partially explaining atheroprotection from Mediterranean diets.

Western diet may trigger sleep disorders and vice versa, but their single and mutual effects on systemic inflammatory diseases (i.e., psoriasis) are far from being fully elucidated. At the same time, psoriatic patients display a great burden of sleep disorders and dysmetabolisms related to an unhealthy lifestyle (i.e., diet). These patients are also affected by a chronic disorder deeply modulated by environmental factors (i.e., sleep and diet) capable to influence drug-response and disease progression. Thus, we aimed to summarize the evidence in the literature that may highlight a potential link among psoriasis–diet–sleep in order to further promote a multidisciplinary approach to psoriatic patients in the scientific community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]