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Research Nut: Mixed Nuts

Impact of typical rather than nutrient-dense food choices in the US department of agriculture food patterns.

Britten, P., L.E. Cleveland, K.L. Koegel, K.J. Kuczynski, S.M. Nickols-Richardson, 2012. Impact of typical rather than nutrient-dense food choices in the US department of agriculture food patterns. J Acad Nutr Diet. 112:1560-1569.

Background: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Patterns, released as part of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, are designed to meet nutrient needs without exceeding energy requirements. They identify amounts to consume from each food group and recommend that nutrient-dense forms—lean or low-fat, without added sugars or salt—be consumed. Americans fall short of most food group intake targets and do not consume foods in nutrient-dense forms. Intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars exceed maximum limits by large margins. Objective: Our aim was to determine the potential effect on meeting USDA Food Pattern nutrient adequacy and moderation goals if Americans consumed the recommended quantities from each food group, but did not implement the advice to select nutrient dense forms of food and instead made more typical food choices. Design Food-pattern modeling analysis using the USDA Food Patterns, which are structured to allow modifications in one or more aspects of the patterns, was used. Nutrient profiles for each food group were modified by replacing each nutrient-dense representative food with a similar but typical choice. Typical nutrient profiles were used to determine the energy and nutrient content of the food patterns. Results: Moderation goals are not met when amounts of food in the USDA Food Patterns are followed and typical rather than nutrient-dense food choices are made. Energy, total fat, saturated fat, and sodium exceed limits in all patterns, often by substantial margins. With typical choices, calories were 15% to 30% (ie, 350 to 450 kcal) above the target calorie level for each pattern. Adequacy goals were not substantially affected by the use of typical food choices. Conclusions: If consumers consume the recommended quantities from each food group and subgroup, but fail to choose foods in low-fat, no-added-sugars, and low-sodium forms, they will not meet the USDA Food Patterns moderation goals or the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Health benefits of nut consumption with special reference to body weight control.

Vadivel, V., C.N. Kunyanga, H.K. Biesalski, 2012. Health benefits of nut consumption with special reference to body weight control. Nutrition.  28:1089–1097.

Nuts are an integral part of the Mediterranean food patterns, and their incorporation into the regular diets of human beings is believed to provide many health benefits. The recent recognition of nuts as “heart-healthy” foods by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given a major boost to the positive image of nuts. Nut consumption has been associated with several health benefits, such as antioxidant, hypocholesterolemic, cardioprotective, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic benefits, among other functional properties. However, although nuts possess these many health benefits, their consumption has been hampered by a lack of adequate information regarding those benefits. In addition, because nuts are energy-dense foods with high-fat content, there is a misconception among consumers that increased consumption may lead to unwanted gain in body weight with the risk of developing overweight/obesity. Nonetheless, available epidemiologic studies and short-term controlled feeding trials have supported the theory that the inclusion of nuts in the typical diet does not induce weight gain, despite an expected increase in total caloric intake. To address the misperception about nuts and body weight gain, the present review focuses mainly on the relation between nut consumption and body weight gain, in the context of the many health benefits of nuts.

Nuts for diabetes prevention and management.

Kamil, A., C.-Y. O. Chen, 2012. Nuts for diabetes prevention and management. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis. 20(Suppl.1): 323-327.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an important preventable disease and a growing public health problem. Epidemiologic and clinical studies suggest that healthy eating, physical activity, and BW control are the main driving forces to reduce diabetes risk. Owing to their low available carbohydrate content, favorable fat and protein profile as well as phytonutrient content, nut consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of development and management of diabetes. Nuts, by virtue of its cardioprotective actions, have also been shown to reduce biomarkers of risk factors for diabetic complications. Although more studies are warranted, the emerging picture is that nut consumption beneficially influences diabetes risk and management beyond blood glucose control.

Healthful dietary patterns and Type 2 diabetes mellitus risk among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Tobias, D.K., F.B. Hu, J. Chavarro, B. Rosner, D. Mozaffarian, C. Zhang, 2012. Healthful dietary patterns and Type 2 diabetes mellitus risk among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus. Arch Intern Med. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3747.

 Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has reached epidemic proportions. Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at high risk for T2DM after pregnancy. Adherence to healthful dietary patterns has been inversely associated withT2DMin the general population; however, whether these dietary patterns are associated with progression to T2DM among a susceptible population is unknown. Methods: Four thousand four hundred thirteen participants from the Nurses’ Health Study II cohort with prior GDM were followed up from 1991 to 2005. We derived the alternate Mediterranean diet (aMED), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and alternate Healthy Eating Index (aHEI) dietary pattern adherence scores from a post-GDM validated food-frequency questionnaire, with cumulative average updating every 4 years. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models estimated the relative risk (hazard ratios) and 95% confidence intervals. Results: We observed 491 cases of incident T2DM during 52 743 person-years. All 3 patterns were inversely associated with T2DM risk with adjustment for age, total calorie intake, age at first birth, parity, ethnicity, parental diabetes, oral contraceptive use, menopause, and smoking. When we compared participants with the highest adherence (quartile 4) vs lowest (quartile 1), the aMED pattern was associated with 40% lower risk ofT2DM (hazard ratio, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.44-0.82; P=.002]); the DASH pattern, with 46% lower risk (0.54 [0.39-0.73; P<.001]); and the aHEI pattern, with 57% lower risk (0.43 [0.31-0.59; P<.001]). Adjustment for body mass index moderately attenuated these findings. Conclusions: Adherence to healthful dietary patterns is associated with lower T2DM risk among women with a history of GDM. The inverse associations are partly mediated by body mass index.

Peanut and tree nut consumption during pregnancy and allergic disease in children—should mothers decrease their intake? Longitudinal evidence from the Danish National Birth Cohort.

Maslova, E., C. Granstrőm, S. Hansen, S.B. Petersen, M. Strøm, W.C. Willett, S.F. Olsen, 2012.  Peanut and tree nut consumption during pregnancy and allergic disease in children—should mothers decrease their intake? Longitudinal evidence from the Danish National Birth Cohort. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 130:724-32.

Background: The relation between maternal peanut intake during pregnancy and allergic disease development in children has been controversial. Objective: We used data from the Danish National Birth Cohort to examine associations between maternal peanut and tree nut intake during pregnancy and allergic outcomes in children at 18 months and 7 years of age. Methods: We estimated maternal peanut and tree nut intake (n 5 61,908) using a validated midpregnancy food frequency questionnaire. At 18 months, we used parental report of childhood asthma diagnosis, wheeze symptoms, and recurrent wheeze (>3 episodes). We defined current asthma at 7 years as doctor-diagnosed asthma plus wheeze in the past 12 months and allergic rhinitis as a self-reported doctor’s diagnosis. We also used alternative classifications based on registry-based International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, codes and drug dispensary data. We report here odds ratios (ORs) comparing intake of 1 or more times per week versus no intake. Results: We found that maternal intake of peanuts (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.65-0.97) and tree nuts (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.67-0.84) was inversely associated with asthma in children at 18 months of age. Compared with mothers consuming no peanuts, children whose mothers reported eating peanuts 1 or more times per week were 0.66 (95% CI, 0.44-0.98) and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.70-1.00) times as likely to have a registry-based and medication related asthma diagnosis, respectively. Higher tree nut intake was inversely associated with a medication-related asthma diagnosis (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.73-0.90) and self-reported allergic rhinitis (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64-1.01). Conclusions: Our results do not suggest that women should decrease peanut and tree nut intake during pregnancy; instead, consumption of peanuts and tree nuts during pregnancy might even decrease the risk of allergic disease development in children.

The role of adiponectin in cancer: A review of current evidence.

Dalamaga, M., K.N. Diakopoulos, C.S. Mantzoros, 2012. The role of adiponectin in cancer: A review of current evidence. Endocrine Reviews. 33(4):547-94.

Excess body weight is associated not only with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) but also with various types of malignancies. Adiponectin, the most abundant protein secreted by adipose tissue, exhibits insulin-sensitizing, antiinflammatory, antiatherogenic, proapoptotic, and antiproliferative properties. Circulating adiponectin levels, which are determined predominantly by genetic factors, diet, physical activity, and abdominal adiposity, are decreased in patients with diabetes, CVD, and several obesity-associated cancers. Also, adiponectin levels are inversely associated with the risk of developing diabetes, CVD, and several malignancies later in life. Many cancer cell lines express adiponectin receptors, and adiponectin in vitro limits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Recent in vitro studies demonstrate the antiangiogenic and tumor growth-limiting properties of adiponectin. Studies in both animals and humans have investigated adiponectin and adiponectin receptor regulation and expression in several cancers. Current evidence supports a role of adiponectin as a novel risk factor and potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in cancer. In addition, either adiponectin per se or medications that increase adiponectin levels or up-regulate signaling pathways downstream of adiponectin may prove to be useful anticancer agents. This review presents the role of adiponectin in carcinogenesis and cancer progression and examines the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie the association between adiponectin and malignancy in the context of a dysfunctional adipose tissue in obesity. Understanding of these mechanisms may be important for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies against obesity-associated malignancies.

The beneficial effects of tree nuts on the aging brain.

Carey, A.N., S.M. Poulose, B. Shukitt-Hale, 2012. The beneficial effects of tree nuts on the aging brain. Nutrition and Aging. 1:55–67.

Dietary patterns may play an important role in protecting the brain from the cellular and cognitive dysfunction associated with the aging process and neurodegenerative diseases. Tree nuts are showing promise as possible dietary interventions for age-related brain dysfunction. Tree nuts are an important source of essential nutrients, like vitamin E, folate, and fiber. Tree nuts also contain a variety of components, such as phytochemicals like flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids, as well as monounsaturated and omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids that have the potential to combat age-related brain dysfunction. Evidence is accumulating that suggests that tree nuts and their bioactive constituents have the potential to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, as indicated by decreased lipid peroxidation in vivo and reduced production of the free radical nitric oxide and the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha in vitro. Also, tree nut consumption might have the ability to mitigate some of the cognitive decline associated with aging. Here we review the current knowledge of how the consumption of nuts may improve brain health, specifically focusing on walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and pecans.

Out-of-hand nut consumption is associated with improved nutrient intake and health risk markers in US children and adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004.

O’Neil, C.E., D.R. Keast, T.A. Nicklas, V.L. Fulgoni, 2012. Out-of-hand nut consumption is associated with improved nutrient intake and health risk markers in US children and adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004. Nutrition Research. 32:185-194.

The purpose of this study was to determine the association of out-of-hand nut (OOHN) consumption with nutrient intake, diet quality, and the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Data from 24-hour recalls from individuals aged 2+ years (n = 24,385) participating in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. The population was divided into children aged 2 to 11, 12 to 18, and adults 19+ years, and each group was dichotomized into OOHN consumers and nonconsumers. Out-of-hand nut consumers were defined as those individuals consuming ¼ oz of nuts or more per d. Means, standard errors, and covariate-adjusted analyses of variance were determined using appropriate sample weights. Diet quality was determined using the Healthy Eating Index-2005. Significance was set at P < .05. The percent of OOHN consumers increased with age: 2.1% ± 0.3%, 2.6% ± 0.3%, 6.5% ± 0.5%, and 9.6% ± 0.5% those aged 2 to 11, 12 to 18, 19 to 50, and 51+ years, respectively. The 2 latter groups were combined into a single group of consumers aged 19+ years for subsequent analyses. Consumers of OOHN from all age groups had higher intakes of energy, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, copper, and magnesium and lower intakes of carbohydrates, cholesterol, and sodium than did nonconsumers. Diet quality was higher in OOHN consumers of all age groups. In children aged 2 to 11 years, consumers had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity. In those aged 12 to 18 years, weight and percent overweight were lower in consumers. Adult consumers had higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, red blood cell folate, and serum folate levels and lower insulin, glycohemoglobin, and C-reactive protein levels than did nonconsumers. Adult consumers also had a 19% decreased risk of hypertension and a 21% decreased risk of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Data suggested that OOHN consumption was associated with improved nutrient intake, diet quality, and, in adults, a lower prevalence of 2 risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Consumption of OOHN, as part of a healthy diet, should be encouraged by health professionals.

Nut consumption is associated with decreased health risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome in U.S. adults: NHANES 1999–2004.

O’Neil, C.E., D.R. Keast, T.A. Nicklas, V.L. Fulgoni, 2011. Nut consumption is associated with decreased health risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome in U.S. adults: NHANES 1999–2004. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 30(6):502–510.

Background: Few recent epidemiologic studies have assessed the effect that nut consumption (including tree nuts and peanuts) has on health risks, including metabolic syndrome (MetS). Objective: This study compared the health risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and MetS of nut consumers with that of nonconsumers. Design: Adults 19+ years (n = 13,292) participating in the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. Intake from 24-hour recalls was used to determine intake. Nut/tree nut consumers consumed ≥¼ ounce per day. Covariate-adjusted means, standard errors, and prevalence rates were determined for the nut consumption groups. Results: The prevalence of nut consumers was 18.6% ± 0.7% and 21.0% ± 0.9% in those 19–50 years and 51 years and older, respectively. Nut consumption was associated with a decreased body mass index (27.7 kg/m2 ± 0.2 vs 28.1 ± 0.1 kg/m2, p<0.05), waist circumference (95.6 ± 0.4 cm vs 96.4 ± 0.3 cm, p < 0.05), and systolic blood pressure (121.9 ± 0.4 mmHg vs 123.20 ± 0.3 mmHg, p < 0.01) compared with nonconsumers. Tree nut consumers also had a lower weight (78.8 ± 0.7 kg vs 80.7 ± 0.3 kg, p < 0.05). Nut consumers had a lower percentage of two risk factors for MetS: hypertension (31.5% ± 1.0% vs 34.2% ± 0.8%, p < 0.05) and low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (29.6% ± 1.0% vs 34.8% ± 0.8%, p < 0.01). Tree nut consumers had a lower prevalence of four risk factors for MetS: abdominal obesity (43.6% ± 1.6% vs 49.5% ± 0.8%, p < 0.05), hypertension (31.4% ± 1.2% vs 33.9% ± 0.8%, p < 0.05), low HDL-C (27.9% ± 1.7% vs 34.5% ± 0.8%, p < 0.01), high fasting glucose (11.4% ± 1.4% vs 15.0% ± 0.7%, p < 0.05), and a lower prevalence of MetS (21.2% ± 2.1% vs 26.6% ± 0.7%, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Nut/tree nut consumption was associated with a decreased prevalence of selected risk factors for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and MetS.

The effect of the Mediterranean diet on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels: The PREDIMED-NAVARRA randomized trial. Nutritional Neuroscience.

Sánchez-Villegas, A., C. Galbete, M.Á. Martinez-González, J.A. Martinez, C. Razquin, J. Salas-Salvadó, R. Estruch, P. Buil-Cosiales, A. Martí, 2011. The effect of the Mediterranean diet on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels: The PREDIMED-NAVARRA randomized trial. Nutritional Neuroscience.  14(5):195-201.

Objectives: There are no human studies assessing the effect of nutritional interventions on plasma brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess the role of a nutritional intervention based on a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) on plasma BDNF levels. Methods: PREvención con Dieta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) is a randomized clinical trial designed to assess the effect of a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. For this analysis, 243 participants from the Navarra centre were randomly selected. Participants were assigned to one of three dietary interventions: control (low-fat) diet, MeDiet supplemented with virgin olive oil (MeDiet + VOO), or MeDiet supplemented with nuts (MeDiet + Nuts). Plasma BDNF levels were measured after 3 years of intervention. Multivariate-adjusted means of BDNF for each intervention were compared using generalized linear models. Logistic regression models were fit to assess the association between the dietary intervention and the likelihood to have low plasma BDNF values (<13 μg/ml, 10th percentile). Analyses were repeated after stratifying the sample according to baseline prevalence of different diseases. Results: Higher but non-significant plasma BDNF levels were observed for participants assigned to both MeDiets. Participants assigned to MeDiet + Nuts showed a significant lower risk (odds ratios (OR) = 0.22; 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.05–0.90) of low plasma BDNF values (<13 μg/ml) as compared to the control group. Among participants with prevalent depression at baseline, significantly higher BDNF levels were found for those assigned to the MeDiet+ Nuts. Discussion: Adherence to a MeDiet was associated to an improvement in plasma BDNF concentrations in individuals with depression.