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Okinawa-Based Nordic Diet Decreases Plasma Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Levels in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Pocevičiūtė, Dovilė LU orcid ; Wennström, Malin LU and Ohlsson, Bodil LU (2024) In Nutrients 16(17).
Abstract

Elevated levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in plasma reflect neuroinflammation and are linked to cognitive decline. Preclinical studies show that dietary change can attenuate astrocyte reactivity and neuroinflammation. In the current study, we investigate if the Okinawa-based Nordic (O-BN) diet alters plasma GFAP levels in patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), a metabolic disorder associated with cognitive disturbances and an increased risk of dementia. Plasma GFAP levels were measured in T2D patients (n = 30) at baseline, after 3 months of the diet, and after a subsequent 4 months of unrestricted diets. The GFAP levels decreased significantly after 3 months of the diet (p = 0.048) but reverted to baseline levels after 4... (More)

Elevated levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in plasma reflect neuroinflammation and are linked to cognitive decline. Preclinical studies show that dietary change can attenuate astrocyte reactivity and neuroinflammation. In the current study, we investigate if the Okinawa-based Nordic (O-BN) diet alters plasma GFAP levels in patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), a metabolic disorder associated with cognitive disturbances and an increased risk of dementia. Plasma GFAP levels were measured in T2D patients (n = 30) at baseline, after 3 months of the diet, and after a subsequent 4 months of unrestricted diets. The GFAP levels decreased significantly after 3 months of the diet (p = 0.048) but reverted to baseline levels after 4 months of unrestricted diets. At baseline, the GFAP levels correlated significantly with levels of the neurodegeneration marker neurofilament light polypeptide (r = 0.400*) and, after correcting for age, sex, and body mass index, with proinflammatory plasma cytokines (ranging from r = 0.440* to r = 0.530**) and the metabolic hormone islet amyloid polypeptide (r = 0.478*). We found no correlation with psychological well-being. These results suggest that the O-BN diet reduces neuroinflammation in T2D patients and may thus be an important preventive measure for managing T2D and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
astrocyte, cytokine, gut–brain axis, neuroinflammation, plasma
in
Nutrients
volume
16
issue
17
article number
2847
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85203647028
  • pmid:39275164
ISSN
2072-6643
DOI
10.3390/nu16172847
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
aa1ffa3b-4b60-4f6d-9c1e-9854b23ff88d
date added to LUP
2024-11-22 14:31:26
date last changed
2025-07-05 10:08:44
@article{aa1ffa3b-4b60-4f6d-9c1e-9854b23ff88d,
  abstract     = {{<p>Elevated levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in plasma reflect neuroinflammation and are linked to cognitive decline. Preclinical studies show that dietary change can attenuate astrocyte reactivity and neuroinflammation. In the current study, we investigate if the Okinawa-based Nordic (O-BN) diet alters plasma GFAP levels in patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), a metabolic disorder associated with cognitive disturbances and an increased risk of dementia. Plasma GFAP levels were measured in T2D patients (n = 30) at baseline, after 3 months of the diet, and after a subsequent 4 months of unrestricted diets. The GFAP levels decreased significantly after 3 months of the diet (p = 0.048) but reverted to baseline levels after 4 months of unrestricted diets. At baseline, the GFAP levels correlated significantly with levels of the neurodegeneration marker neurofilament light polypeptide (r = 0.400*) and, after correcting for age, sex, and body mass index, with proinflammatory plasma cytokines (ranging from r = 0.440* to r = 0.530**) and the metabolic hormone islet amyloid polypeptide (r = 0.478*). We found no correlation with psychological well-being. These results suggest that the O-BN diet reduces neuroinflammation in T2D patients and may thus be an important preventive measure for managing T2D and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders.</p>}},
  author       = {{Pocevičiūtė, Dovilė and Wennström, Malin and Ohlsson, Bodil}},
  issn         = {{2072-6643}},
  keywords     = {{astrocyte; cytokine; gut–brain axis; neuroinflammation; plasma}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{17}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Nutrients}},
  title        = {{Okinawa-Based Nordic Diet Decreases Plasma Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Levels in Type 2 Diabetes Patients}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu16172847}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/nu16172847}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}