Lopez-Neyman, S. M., N. Zohoori, K.S. Broughton, D.C. Miketinas, 2023. Association of tree nut consumption with cardiovascular disease and cardiometabolic risk factors and health outcomes in US adults: NHANES 2011-2018. Curr. Dev. Nutr. 7(10):102007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.102007
Background: Tree nuts are nutrient dense, and their consumption has been associated with improvements in health outcomes. Objective: To estimate the usual tree nut intake and examine the association between tree nut consumption and cardiometabolic (CM) health outcomes in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Methods: Cross-sectional data were analyzed from a sample of 18,150 adults aged ≥ 20y who provided at least one reliable 24-h dietary recall and had complete data for the variables of interest in the NHANES 2011-2018. Tree nut consumers were defined as those consuming ≥ ¼ ounce/d (7.09 g). The National Cancer Institute Method was used to estimate the usual tree nut intake among consumers. Measurement error calibrated regression models were used to assess the association between tree nut consumption and each health outcome of interest. Results: Approximately 8% of all participants (n = 1238) consumed tree nuts and had a mean ± SE usual intake of 39.5 ± 1.8 g/d. Tree nut consumers were less likely to have obesity (31% vs. 40%, P < 0.001) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (22% vs. 30%, P < 0.001) compared with nonconsumers. Moreover, tree nut consumers had a lower mean waist circumference (WC) (97.1 ± 0.7 vs. 100.5 ± 0.3 cm, P < 0.001) and apolipoprotein B (87.5 ± 1.2 vs. 91.8 ± 0.5 mg/dL, P = 0.004) than nonconsumers. After adjusting models for demographics and lifestyle covariates, the difference in WC between average intake (33.7 g/d) and low threshold intake (7.09/g) of tree nuts was -1.42 ± 0.58 cm (P = 0.005). Conclusions: Most US adults do not consume tree nuts, yet modest consumption was associated with decreased prevalence of cardiovascular disease and CM risk factors and improvement for some health outcome measures.
Baer, D.J., M. Dalton, J. Blundell, G. Finlayson, F.B. Hu, 2023. Nuts, Energy Balance and Body Weight. Nutrients. 15(5):1162. doi: 10.3390/nu15051162.
Over several decades, the health benefits of consuming nuts have been investigated, resulting in a large body of evidence that nuts can reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The consumption of nuts, being a higher-fat plant food, is restricted by some in order to minimize weight gain. In this review, we discuss several factors related to energy intake from nuts, including food matrix and its impact on digestibility, and the role of nuts in regulating appetite. We review the data from randomized controlled trials and observational studies conducted to examine the relationship between nut intake and body weight or body mass index. Consistently, the evidence from RCTs and observational cohorts indicates that higher nut consumption does not cause greater weight gain; rather, nuts may be beneficial for weight control and prevention of long-term weight gain. Multiple mechanisms likely contribute to these findings, including aspects of nut composition which affect nutrient and energy availability as well as satiety signaling.
Yang, J., R. Lee, Z. Schulz, A. Hsu, J. Pai, S. Yang, S.M. Henning, J. Huang, J.P. Jacobs, D. Heber, Z. Li., 2023. Mixed nuts as healthy snacks: effect on tryptophan metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors. Nutrients. 15, 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15030569.
We recently demonstrated that the consumption of mixed tree nuts (MTNs) during caloric restriction decreased cardiovascular risk factors and increased satiety. Tryptophan (Trp) metabolism has been indicated as a factor in cardiovascular disease. Here, we investigated the effect of MTNs on Trp metabolism and the link to cardiovascular risk markers. Plasma and stool were collected from 95 overweight individuals who consumed either MTNs (or pretzels) daily as part of a hypocaloric weight loss diet for 12 weeks followed by an isocaloric weight maintenance program for an additional 12 weeks. Plasma and fecal samples were evaluated for Trp metabolites by LC–MS and for gut microbiota by 16S rRNA sequencing. Trp–kynurenine metabolism was reduced only in the MTNs group during weight loss (baseline vs. week 12). Changes in Trp–serotonin (week 24) and Trp–indole (week 12) metabolism from baseline were increased in the MTNs group compared to the pretzel group. Intergroup analysis between MTN and pretzel groups does not identify significant microbial changes as indicated by alpha diversity and beta diversity. Changes in the relative abundance of genus Paludicola during intervention are statistically different between the MTNs and pretzel group with p < 0.001 (q = 0.07). Our findings suggest that consumption of MTNs affects Trp host and microbial metabolism in overweight and obese subjects.
Cong, W., K. Gu, F. Wang, H. Cai, W. Zheng, P. Bao, X.-O. Shu, 2022. Nut consumption in association with overall mortality and recurrence/disease-specific mortality among long-term breast cancer survivors. International Journal of Cancer.doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33824.
High nut consumption is associated with reduced total and certain cause-specific mortality in general populations. However, its association with cancer outcomes among long-term breast cancer survivors remains unknown. We examined the associations of nut consumption (including peanuts and tree nuts), assessed at 5-year postdiagnosis, with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) among 3449 long-term breast cancer survivors from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, applying Cox regression analysis. During a median follow-up of 8.27 years post dietary assessment, there were 374 deaths, including 252 breast cancer deaths. Among 3274 survivors without previous recurrence at the dietary assessment, 209 developed breast cancer-specific events, that is, recurrence, metastasis or breast cancer mortality. At 5-year post dietary assessment (ie, 10-year postdiagnosis), regular nut consumers had higher OS (93.7% vs 89.0%) and DFS (94.1% vs 86.2%) rates. After multivariable adjustment, nut consumption was positively associated with OS (Ptrend = .022) and DFS (Ptrend = .003) following a dose-response pattern, with hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of 0.72 (0.52-1.05) for OS and 0.48 (0.31-0.73) for DFS, for participants with greater than median nut intake compared with nonconsumers. The associations did not vary by nut type. Stratified analyses showed that the associations were more evident among participants with a higher total energy intake for OS (Pinteraction = .02) and among participants with early stage (I-II) breast cancers for DFS (Pinteraction = .04). The nut-DFS associations were not modified by estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor status or other known prognostic factors. In conclusion, nut consumption was associated with better survival, particularly DFS, among long-term breast cancer survivors.
