Impact of a 6-Month Micronutrient-Dense Plant-Rich Nutrition Intervention on Health and Well-Being at the Worksite

Abstract

This nonrandomized pilot study utilized the health belief model and the theory of planned behavior to assess the effectiveness of perceived behavioral control to determine the impact of a micronutrient-dense plant-rich (mNDPR) dietary intervention on employee health and wellness at the worksite. Seventy-one employees and/or spouses (≥18 years) who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from a regional medical center and a local university. Participants were provided more than 14 hours of in-person lecture combined with take-home materials, and electronic resources to support participants in their transition and adherence to the dietary plan. The study consisted of a 6-hour introductory session followed by weekly 1-hour meetings for 7 consecutive weeks and then monthly 1-hour meetings, for 4 consecutive months over the span of 6 months. Retention of participants was approximately 55 percent. Participants were assessed for measures of weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure; physiological measures of blood cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c; and well-being measures of gastroesophageal reflux disease, depression, sleep, pain, and worksite productivity, pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. A significant reduction was seen in weight (F(2, 78) = 19.81, p<0.001) with a mean reduction of 6.65 lb., waist circumference (F(2, 72) = 40.914, p<0.001) with a mean reduction of 2.8 inches, total cholesterol (F(2, 70) = 19.09, p<0.001) with a mean reduction of 17.81 mg/dL, HDL (F(2, 70) = 4.005, p=0.023) with a mean reduction of 3.61 mg/dL, LDL (F(2, 56) = 10.087, p<0.001) with a mean reduction of 13.1 mg/dL, blood glucose (F(2, 70) = 6.995, p=0.002) with a mean reduction of 3.7 mg/dL, hemoglobin A1c (paired samples t (39) = 2.689, p=0.01) with a mean reduction of 0.118%, GERD (F(2, 72) = 7.940, p=0.001, MSE = 4.225) with a mean reduction of 1.4, depressive symptoms as measured by the PHQ 9 (F(2, 72) = 10.062, p<0.001, MSE = 5.174) with a mean reduction of 2.0, and an improvement in sleep quality was seen as measured by the PSQI (F(2, 74) = 11.047, p<0.001, MSE = 2.269) with a mean improvement of 1.3. In most cases, improvement occurred across the first two time periods and then leveled off. Blood pressure, triglycerides, pain measurements, and WPAI did not change over time. Effect sizes for significant pairwise comparisons indicated medium to large effects of practical significance. This intervention was therefore effective at improving employee health and well-being. Widespread worksite implementation should be considered to improve the overall wellness of employees.

The impact of plant-rich diets on sleep: a mini-review

“…Dietary interventions emphasizing micronutrient-dense, plant-rich diets have shown promise in enhancing sleep quality in multiple studies. A 9-week trial of one such dietary intervention in a cohort of employees found that Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores improved from a median score of 8 to 4, consistent with an improvement in the participants’ sleep quality ( 52 ). In another study conducted at a university setting, 35 individuals switched their diet to a micronutrient-dense, plant-rich diet for 6 weeks.…”

Blue Zones-Based Worksite Nutrition Intervention: Positive Impact on Employee Wellbeing

“…Previous research indicates that wellbeing increases with overall consumption of fruits and vegetables and with increasing the number of days fruits and vegetables are consumed (15,16). Results from interventions encouraging individuals to increase consumption of plant-based food options also found positive improvements on overall mental health and wellbeing, reducing depressive symptoms and improving sleep quality (17,18). A causal relationship between a plant-based diet and positive mental health outcomes is less established, especially when compared to the extant literature that supports the positive effects of a plant-based intervention on physical health (19).…”

Protocol and Preliminary Results of the Nutritarian Women’s Health Study: A Longitudinal Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid Study Assessing Dietary Intake and Health Outcomes

“…MicroNutrient-Dense, Plant-Rich (mNDPR) dietary patterns, similar to the Nutritarian dietary pattern described in this study, have been shown to be safe and effective in clinical applications and are positively associated with weight reduction, [11][12][13] lipid management, 11,12,14 glycemic control in diabetes, 15 inflammation reduction, 16 perceptions of hunger, 17 reduction in depressive symptoms and improvement in wellbeing, 11,[18][19][20] reducing the risk of developing cancer, 21 and overall health and longevity. 22 Various plant-based diets such as vegan diets and vegetarian diets have been studied extensively.…”