A healthy diet consisting of multiple foods with anti-inflammatory effects may help prevent many chronic disease, a new study led by researchers at Lund University suggests.

A diet used in the study reduced bad cholesterol by 33 percent, blood lipids by 14 percent, blood pressure by 8 percent and a risk biomarker for blood clots by 26 percent.

Additionally, the diet also reduced a marker of inflammation in the body and improved memory and cognitive function in the study subjects.

For the study, the researchers used the diet that consisted of foods high in antioxidants, low-GI carbohydrates, omega-3 fatty acids, wholegrain products, probiotics and viscous dietary fiber in 44 healthy yet overweight people ages 50 to 75.

The subjects used for four weeks the diet which was assumed to reduce low-grade inflammation in the body, which in turn would lead to metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

"The results have exceeded our expectations! I would like to claim that there has been no previous study with similar effects on healthy subjects", said coauthor of the study professor Inger Björck at Lund University.

The diet was made of foods including oily fish, barley, soy protein, blueberries, almonds, cinnamon, vinegar and a certain type of wholegrain bread.

David Liu