The study, conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, included a group of patients who maintained a gluten-free vegan diet for a year and a control group which followed an ordinary diet. The researchers found that vegan food had a positive effect on symptoms of the disease, which were more pronounced in the control group. Blood levels of oxidised LDL-cholesterol are also a risk factor for atherosclerosis and were lower in the vegan diet group in the study. Additionally, the vegan group also had higher levels of anti-PC, a type of antibody that the researchers believe has a protective effect against atherosclerosis.

"Our findings suggest a new mechanism by which the level of natural protective antibodies can be increased. They also show that diet can have effects on the immune system with implications for the incidence of disease", said Professor Johan Frostegård, who led the study. The study was carried out within the framework of CVDIMMUNE, an EU consortium of ten European partners that is studying the significance of anti-PC in the hope of developing a vaccine against atherosclerosis.