The global burden of chronic diseases, particularly obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, continues to rise. While pharmacological interventions, such as Semaglutide, provide short-term benefits in weight management and glycaemic control, they present limitations, including high costs, side effects, and limited long-term efficacy. In contrast, a Plant-Based Diet (PBD) offers a sustainable and cost-effective approach that directly addresses the underlying metabolic dysfunctions driving chronic diseases. At Bethsaida Hospital in Indonesia, our cardiology centre, led by Prof. Dasaad Mulijono, has successfully implemented a PBD therapeutic strategy, yielding substantial clinical improvements. Patients with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), and hypertension have demonstrated sustained weight loss, reduced medication dependence, and reversal of key disease markers. Many hypertensive patients have discontinued antihypertensive therapy following sustained blood pressure normalisation, while diabetic patients have achieved exceptional glycaemic control (Hba1c < 6%), often eliminating insulin dependence. Overweight patients have attained a healthy BMI (21 - 22), and those with hyperlipidaemia have reached LDL-C levels below 30 mg/dL through a combined plant-based and pharmacological approach. Moreover, patients with moderate renal impairment have experienced normalised serum creatinine levels. Most notably, our cardiology patients exhibit an exceptionally low restenosis rate (~2%) and strong evidence of atherosclerotic stabilisation and plaque regression. These findings underscore the transformative potential of PBDs in preventing and reversing chronic diseases. Unlike pharmacological interventions, which primarily mitigate symptoms, dietary interventions offer a comprehensive and sustainable solution to improving metabolic health and cardiovascular function. Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) can further personalise and facilitate adherence to plant-based dietary interventions. A paradigm shift from pharmacological dependence to lifestyle medicine is imperative to reducing healthcare costs and enhancing long-term patient outcomes.

Various nutritional therapies have been proposed in rheumatoid arthritis, particularly diets rich in ω-3 fatty acids, which may lead to eicosanoid reduction. Our aim was to investigate the effect of potentially anti-inflammatory diets (Mediterranean, vegetarian, vegan, ketogenic) on pain. The primary outcome was pain on a 10 cm visual analogue scale. Secondary outcomes were C-reactive protein levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, health assessment questionnaire, disease activity score 28, tender/swollen joint counts, weight, and body mass index. We searched MEDLINE (OVID), Embase (Elsevier), and CINAHL for studies published from database inception to 12 November 2021. Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted study data, and assessed the risk of bias. We performed a meta-analysis with all eligible randomized controlled trials using RevMan 5. We used mean differences or standardized mean differences and the inverse variance method of pooling using a random-effects model. The search retrieved 564 unique publications, of which we included 12 in the systematic review and 7 in the meta-analysis. All studies had a high risk of bias and the evidence was very low. The main conclusion is that anti-inflammatory diets resulted in significantly lower pain than ordinary diets (-9.22 mm; 95% CI -14.15 to -4.29; p = 0.0002; 7 RCTs, 326 participants).

This systematic literature review investigates the long-term health effects of contemporary diets, focusing on low-carb, ketogenic, intermittent fasting, and plant-based diets. The review analyzes studies published from 2015 to 2025, with an emphasis on their impacts on cardiovascular health, metabolic disorders, obesity, and overall quality of life. The results indicate that while ketogenic and low-carb diets are effective in weight loss and managing metabolic health, concerns regarding long-term sustainability and potential risks, such as nutrient deficiencies and cardiovascular implications, need to be addressed. Intermittent fasting shows promising results in improving metabolic health and longevity but poses challenges related to adherence. Plant-based diets were associated with reduced risks of chronic diseases, though potential nutrient deficiencies require careful management. The review concludes that no single diet fits all; personalized nutrition based on individual needs, health conditions, and lifestyle is key to achieving long-term health benefits. Further research is needed to determine the optimal approaches for maintaining health through diet over extended periods.

This paper aims to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of vegetarian and plant-based dietary patterns in promoting weight loss and improving associated metabolic and clinical markers across diverse populations, as well as to identify key research gaps and future directions. The review utilises 51 original studies with 26724 total participants (topic deduplicated ΣN). Across the mapped evidence, vegetarian and plant-based dietary patterns show a promising signal of clinically meaningful weight reduction, with reported changes spanning roughly −1.40 kg over 6 months to −8.07 ± 4.31 kg over 3 months, and up to −8.9% in more intensive lifestyle programs incorporating a strict vegetarian diet. This weight loss signal commonly co-occurred with improvements in adiposity distribution and cardiometabolic markers, including insulin sensitivity, lipid profiles, and blood pressure, supporting a role for vegetarian patterns as a practical option for obesity management and related conditions such as MASLD/NAFLD and T2DM. The evidence map also indicates that outcomes may vary by vegetarian subtype and implementation (e.g., low-carbohydrate vegan approaches or pairing with time-restricted feeding), suggesting that “plant-based” is not a single intervention and that tailoring may matter. In practice, these patterns appear most actionable when delivered with professional guidance to maintain nutritional adequacy (notably vitamin B12 and iron) and to avoid reliance on ultra-processed “plant-based” foods that may undermine weight goals. Future research should prioritize longer-duration, head-to-head randomized trials that standardize dietary definitions and adherence measurement while clarifying which vegetarian variants best sustain weight loss and metabolic benefits across diverse populations.

pared to the Mediterranean diet [ 28 , 57 ]. In Table 3 , we compare the differences in weight loss between vegan diet groups and other diet groups. We called the vegan groups “group I” and the other groups “group II” (low-fat omnivorous diet, “ADA” diet, Mediterranean diet, National Cholesterol Education Program diet, National Cholesterol Education Program Step II diet, and the diet recommended by the Korean Diabetes Association). The limitation of Table 3 is that the weight loss data were presented quite differently in the trials—in kilograms, as a percentage, or as reduction in BMI. The unification of the results from the different trials was not possible. However, weight loss is greater for the vegan groups. Moreover, a 2-year-long trial reported that participants in the vegan groups had successful weight control for 2 years [ 39 ]. Table 3. Studies comparing vegan diets to other diets, which are specially developed for management of some medical conditions or for weight control. Number of the Participants in Group I Number of the Participants in Group II Study Duration Mean Weight Loss in Group I/Reduction in BMI Mean Weight Loss in Group II/Reduction in BMI Ref. 49 50 (ADA) 22 weeks Body weight decreased by 6.5 kg. Body weight decreased by 3.1 kg. [ 23 ] 49 50 (ADA) 74 weeks The mean weight loss was 22%. The mean weight loss was 20%. [ 43 , 44 ] 30 32 (Mediterranean diet) 16 weeks The mean weight loss was 7.9 kg. The mean weight loss was 1.5 kg. [ 28 ] 46 47 (a diet by Korean Diabetes Association) 12 weeks Reduction in BMI with −0.5 ± 0.9. Reduction in BMI with −0.1 ± 0.6. [ 32 ] 28 34 (NCEP diet) 2 years −4.9 kg at the first year and −3.1 kg at the second year. −1.8 kg at the first year and −0.8 kg at the second year. [ 39 ] 50 50 (American-Heart- Association-recommended diet) 8 weeks BMI index was reduced from 30.5 to 29.0 kg/m 2 . BMI index was reduced from 30.9 to 29.5 kg/m 2 . [ 42 ] 9 9 (a low-cal. omnivorous diet) 3 mounts 1.8% weight loss in the first