Lillegard, K., A. Widmer, J.R. Koethe, H.J. Silver, 2025. Consuming tree nuts daily as between-meal snacks reduces food cravings and improves diet quality in American young adults at high metabolic syndrome risk. Nutrients. 17, 3778. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17233778.
Background: Daily energy intake from snacking behaviors has increased over the past few decades, during which the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome has risen to epidemic proportions. There remains considerable room for improvement in the overall quality of dietary intakes of the U.S. population when compared to national recommendations. Food cravings may contribute to the types of snacks chosen for consumption, and thus, the frequency of foods and food groups consumed, and the overall nutritional quality of the diet. Methods: Eighty-four young (28.5 ± 4.3 years) adults with at least one metabolic syndrome risk factor participated in a parallel-arm single-blind randomized trial designed to compare effects of consuming a mix of tree nuts versus typical high-carbohydrate food items as between-meal snacks for 16 weeks. Cravings for 28 common foods via the Food Craving Inventory, short-term dietary intakes via 24 h multi-pass methodology, food group frequency via the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants, usual hunger and fullness via visual analog scales, appetite-regulating hormones, and diet quality via the Healthy Eating Index-2015 were measured at baseline and end of study. Results: Participants in the TNsnack group had significant decreases in cravings for high sweet items and fast-food items, which were associated with decreased frequency of desserts and salty foods along with increased intake of higher protein items. In contrast, no significant reductions in food cravings or preference for sweets were observed in the CHOsnack group. Decreased cravings for sweets by TNsnack participants were associated with increased total GLP-1 levels: cake (r = −0.35, p = 0.03), brownies (r = −0.44, p = 0.02), candy (r = −0.36, p = 0.03) and ice cream (r = −0.33, p = 0.04). Overall, the total diet quality score improved by 19% among TNsnack participants. Conclusions: Replacing more typical between-meal snacks with tree nuts may reduce food cravings, particularly for sweeter food items that are likely to be nutrient poor and energy dense. By reducing cravings and frequency of intake, consuming tree nuts as snacks could facilitate having a higher quality, more nutrient-dense diet and mitigate potential negative effects of snacking on metabolic health in young adults.
Suprono, M.S., D.J. Shavlik, F.M. Butler, J. Sabaté, G.E. Fraser, M.J. Orlich, 2025. Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease mortality: The Adventist Health Study 2. J Nutr. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.10.022
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) are leading causes of mortality worldwide. Nut consumption has been associated with reduced risk. Objectives: To examine the associations between total nut and tree nut intake with CVD and IHD mortality, and to explore the potential benefits of substituting nuts for less heart-healthy foods. Methods: This prospective cohort study followed 80,529 Adventist participants for an average of 11.1 y. During this period, 4258 CVD deaths, including 1529 IHD deaths, were recorded. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. We examined total nut intake (combining tree nuts, peanuts, and peanut butter) as well as tree nut intake specifically (including almonds, cashews, walnuts, and mixed nuts). Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for demographic, dietary, and lifestyle factors. Results: Participants with higher nut intake tended to be older, more educated, and reported healthier lifestyle behaviors. After multivariable adjustment, higher total nut intake was significantly associated with lower CVD (HR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.94) and IHD mortality (HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.70, 0.94) when comparing the 90th with the 10th percentile of intake. Stronger inverse associations were observed with tree nut intake and CVD (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.92) and IHD mortality (HR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.87). Substitution analysis revealed that replacing unprocessed red meats and processed meats with total nuts and tree nuts was associated with lower risk of CVD and IHD mortality. Conclusions: Higher intakes of total nuts and tree nuts are associated with significantly lower risk of CVD and IHD mortality. These findings support dietary recommendations to increase nut consumption as part of a heart-healthy diet.
Pourrajab, B., A.M. Harijani, P. Asghari, F. Shidfar, 2025. Effect of the Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil versus the Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts on blood pressure and serum lipid indexes among adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. 35(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2025.104166
Background and aim: Hypertension and dyslipidemia are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the effects of two Mediterranean (MED) dietary patterns—one supplemented with olive oil and the other with mixed nuts—on blood pressure and lipid profile. Methods and results: Relevant studies published until April 24, 2024, were thoroughly searched in online databases, including PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar. The analysis included 21 trials with 25 effect sizes, calculated as standardized mean differences with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The findings indicated that the MED diet supplemented with olive oil has no significant effect on lipid indices and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) when contrasted with the MED diet supplemented with mixed nuts. However, the olive oil group had slightly higher systolic blood pressure levels than the mixed nuts group, with a significant p-value of <0.001. Conclusions: Evidence indicates no significant difference in serum lipid profile and DBP between the MED diet supplemented with olive oil and that with mixed nuts in participants at risk of CVD. However, mixed nuts significantly reduce SBP compared to olive oil. More studies on diverse populations are needed.
Shin, S., 2025. Association between nut consumption and metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. J Lipid Atheroscler. 14(2):219-228. https://doi.org/10.12997/jla.2025.14.2.219
Objective: Although nuts have been reported to lower the risk of multiple diseases, evidence regarding their effect on metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Asian populations is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the association between nut consumption and the risk of MetS. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2018). MetS was defined according to the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Responses to a single 24-hour dietary recall from 4,365 younger adults (19–39 years), 7,498 middle-aged adults (40–64 years), and 4,378 older adults (≥65 years) were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression models. Results: In this study, based on the culinary definition, nuts included tree nuts and peanuts. Approximately 25% of Korean adults were found to consume nuts. After adjusting for confounding variables, including age, body mass index, total energy intake, household income, alcohol consumption, smoking, aerobic exercise, and energy from carbohydrates, nut consumption was associated with a lower risk of MetS among middle-aged men (40–64 years; odds ratio [OR], 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53–0.88), older men (≥65 years; OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.53–0.98), and older women (≥65 years; OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53–0.89). Conclusion: These results suggest that consuming nuts may exert protective effects against MetS in middle-aged Korean men and older Korean adults.
