Effects of Short-Term Gluten-Free Diet on Cardiovascular Biomarkers and Quality of Life in Healthy Individuals: A Prospective Interventional Study

Abstract

Introduction: The exposome concept includes nutrition as it significantly influences human health, impacting the onset and progression of diseases. Gluten-containing wheat products are an essential source of energy for the world’s population. However, a rising number of non-celiac healthy individuals tend to reduce or completely avoid gluten-containing cereals for health reasons. Aim and Methods: This prospective interventional human study aimed to investigate whether short-term gluten avoidance improves cardiovascular endpoints and quality of life (QoL) in healthy volunteers. A cohort of 27 participants followed a strict gluten-free diet (GFD) for four weeks. Endothelial function measured by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), blood testing, plasma proteomics (Olink®) and QoL as measured by the World Health Organisation Quality-of-Life (WHOQOL) survey were investigated. Results: GFD resulted in decreased leucocyte count and C-reactive protein levels along with a trend of reduced inflammation biomarkers determined by plasma proteomics. A positive trend indicated improvement in FMD, whereas other cardiovascular endpoints remained unchanged. In addition, no improvement in QoL was observed. Conclusion: In healthy individuals, a short-term GFD demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects but did not result in overall cardiovascular improvement or enhanced quality of life.

Keywords

• gluten
• endothelial function
• vascular inflammation
• quality of life
• flow-mediated dilation
• plasma proteomics