Dávila-Córdova, E., N. Babio, C. Valle-Hita, M. Fernández la Puente, A. Beltran-Arasa, M. Cebrián-Puig, V. Fambuena-Perez, I. García-Serrano, M.M. Murphy, J. Salas-Salvadó, A. Salas-Huetos, 2026. Nut consumption and sperm quality in healthy men: results from the Led-Fertyl Study. Andrology. e70204. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70204
Background: Nuts are rich in antioxidants and other bioactive compounds, and recent evidence suggests that their regular consumption may be associated with sperm quality. However, the current scientific evidence remains limited and inconsistent. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the association between nut consumption and sperm quality parameters in healthy men of reproductive age. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the data from 222 young men enrolled in the Led-Fertyl study. Nut consumption was categorized as < 3, ≥ 3 to < 7, and ≥ 7 servings/week (1 serving = 30 g). The main outcomes were sperm quality parameters (sperm count, concentration, vitality, motility, and normal morphology). Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were fitted to analyze associations. Results: Total sperm count (β = 3.38; 95%CI: 1.59, 5.16) and concentration (β = 1.17; 95%CI: 0.15, 2.19) were higher among participants in the highest category of nut consumption (≥7 servings/week) compared to those in the lowest (< 3 servings/week). A similar association was observed when modeling nut consumption as continuous; each additional serving per day was associated with higher total sperm count and concentration (β = 2.38; 95%CI: 1.03, 3.72 and β = 0.83; 95%CI: 0.06, 1.59, respectively). A theoretical substitution of 1 serving/day of nuts with 1 serving/day of potato chips or pastries was associated with lower total sperm count and concentration. Furthermore, compared to participants in the lowest category of nut consumption, those in the highest were 75% less likely to have abnormal sperm motility (OR: 0.25; 95%CI: 0.07, 0.95) and 69% less likely to have seminogram abnormalities (OR: 0.31; 95%CI: 0.14, 0.68). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that regular nut consumption is associated with higher total sperm count and concentration in young, healthy men of reproductive age.
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.
Pachter, D., A. Yaskolka Meir, A. Kaplan, G. Tsaban, H. Zelicha, E. Rinott, G. Levakov, O. Finkelstein, I. Shelef, M. Salti, F. Beyer, V. Witte, N. Klöting, B. Isermann, U. Ceglarek, T. Riklin Raviv, M. Blüher, M. Stumvoll, D.D. Wang, F.B. Hu, M.J. Stampfer, G. Avidan, I. Shai, 2025. Serum Galectin-9 and Decorin in relation to brain aging and the green-Mediterranean diet: A secondary analysis of the DIRECT PLUS randomized trial. Clin Nutr. 53:99-108. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2025.08.021.
Background and aims: We explored whether changes in serum proteomic profiles differed between participants with distinct brain aging trajectories, and whether these changes were influenced by dietary intervention. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the 18-month DIRECT PLUS trial, 294 participants were randomized to one of three arms: 1) Healthy dietary guidelines (HDG); 2) Mediterranean (MED) diet (+440 mg/day polyphenols from walnuts); or 3) low red/processed meat green-MED diet (+1240 mg/day polyphenols from walnuts, Mankai plant, and green tea). We measured 87 serum proteins (Olink-CVDII). We used Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging (MRI)-assessed 3D-T1-weighted brain scans for brain age calculation (by convolutional neural network) to identify protein markers reflecting the brain age gap (BAG; deviation of MRI-assessed brain age from chronological age). Results: At baseline, lower weight, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, and HbA1c parameters were associated with a younger brain age than expected. Specifically, higher levels of two proteins, Galectin-9 (Gal-9) and Decorin (DCN), were associated with accelerated brain aging (larger BAG). A proteomics principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a difference in PC1 between the two time-points for participants with accelerated brain aging. Between baseline and 18 months, Gal-9 significantly decreased among individuals who completed the intervention with attenuated brain aging, while DCN significantly increased among those who completed the trial with accelerated brain aging. A significant interaction was observed between the green-MED diet and proteomics PCA, resulting in a beneficial change compared to the HDG. Participants in the green-MED diet significantly decreased Gal-9 compared to the HDG diet and from baseline. Conclusions: Higher serum levels of Gal-9 and DCN may indicate an acceleration of brain aging and could be reduced by a green-MED/high-polyphenol (green tea and Mankai) and low-red/processed meat diet.
