Hart, T.L., P.M. Kris-Etherton, K.S. Petersen, 2025. Consuming pecans as a snack improves lipids/lipoproteins and diet quality compared with usual diet in adults at increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases: a randomized controlled trial. Amer J Clin Nutr. ISSN 0002-9165,doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.01.024.
Background: The vascular and cardiometabolic effects of pecans are relatively understudied. Objectives: The aim was to examine how substitution of usual snack foods with 57g/d of pecans affects vascular health, risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, and diet quality, compared with continuing usual intake in individuals at risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Methods: A 12-wk single-blinded, parallel, randomized controlled trial was conducted. Adults with ≥1 criterion for metabolic syndrome who were free from cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes were included. Participants were provided with 57g/d of pecans and instructed to replace the snacks usually consumed with the provided pecans. The control group was instructed to continue consuming their usual diet. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD),primary outcome, along with blood pressure, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), lipids/lipoproteins, and glycemic control were measured at baseline and following the intervention. Participants completed 3 24-h recalls at 3 time points (baseline, week 6, and week 12) during the study (9 recalls in total). The Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020) was calculated to assess diet quality. Results: In total, 138 participants (mean ± SD; 46 ± 13 y, 29.8 ± 3.7 kg/m2) were randomly assigned (69 per group). No between-group differences in FMD, cf-PWV, or blood pressure were observed. Compared with the usual diet group, pecan intake reduced total cholesterol (− 8.1 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −14.5, −1.7), LDL cholesterol ( −7.2 mg/dL; 95% CI −12.3, −2.1), non-HDL-cholesterol (− 9.5 mg/dL; 95% CI −15.3, −3.7), and triglycerides concentrations ( −16.4 mg/dL; 95% CI −30.0, −2.9). Weight tended to increase in the pecan group compared with the usual diet group (0.7 kg; 95% CI −0.1, 1.4). The HEI-2020 increased by 9.4 points (95% CI 5.0, 13.7) in the pecan group compared with the usual diet group. Conclusions: Replacing usual snacks with 57 g/d of pecans for 12-wk improves lipids/lipoproteins and diet quality but does not affect vascular health in adults at risk of cardiometabolic disease.
Zelicha H, Kaplan A, Yaskolka Meir A, Rinott E, Tsaban G, Blüher M, Klöting N, Ceglarek U, Isermann B, Stumvoll M, Chassidim Y, Shelef I, Hu FB, Shai I., 2024. Altered proteome profiles related to visceral adiposity may mediate the favorable effect of green Mediterranean diet: the DIRECT-PLUS trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 32(7):1245-1256. doi: 10.1002/oby.24036.
Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the effects of a green Mediterranean (green-MED) diet, which is high in dietary polyphenols and green plant-based protein and low in red/processed meat, on cardiovascular disease and inflammation-related circulating proteins and their associations with cardiometabolic risk parameters. Methods: In the 18-month weight loss trial Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial Polyphenols Unprocessed Study (DIRECT-PLUS), 294 participants with abdominal obesity were randomized to basic healthy dietary guidelines, Mediterranean (MED), or green-MED diets. Both isocaloric MED diet groups consumed walnuts (28 g/day), and the green-MED diet group also consumed green tea (3-4 cups/day) and green shakes (Mankai plant shake, 500 mL/day) and avoided red/processed meat. Proteome panels were measured at three time points using Olink CVDII. Results: At baseline, a dominant protein cluster was significantly related to higher phenotypic cardiometabolic risk parameters, with the strongest associations attributed to magnetic resonance imaging-assessed visceral adiposity (false discovery rate of 5%). Overall, after 6 months of intervention, both the MED and green-MED diets induced improvements in cardiovascular disease and proinflammatory risk proteins (p < 0.05, vs. healthy dietary guidelines), with the green-MED diet leading to more pronounced beneficial changes, largely driven by dominant proinflammatory proteins (IL-1 receptor antagonist protein, IL-16, IL-18, thrombospondin-2, leptin, prostasin, galectin-9, and fibroblast growth factor 21; adjusted for age, sex, and weight loss; p < 0.05). After 18 months, proteomics cluster changes presented the strongest correlations with visceral adiposity reduction. Conclusions: Proteomics clusters may enhance our understanding of the favorable effect of a green-MED diet that is enriched with polyphenols and low in red/processed meat on visceral adiposity and cardiometabolic risk.
Meneguelli, T.S., A.C.P. Kravchychyn, A.L. Wendling, A.P. Dionísio, J. Bressan, H.S.D. Martino, E. Tako, H.H.M. Hermsdorff, 2024. Cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L.) and cashew nut oil reduce cardiovascular risk factors in adults on weight-loss treatment: a randomized controlled three-arm trial (Brazilian Nuts Study). Front Nutr. 11:1407028. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1407028
Introduction: Cashew nut contains bioactive compounds that modulate satiety and food intake, but its effects on body fat during energy restriction remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the effects of cashew nut and cashew nut oil on body fat (primary outcome) as well as adiposity, cardiometabolic and liver function markers (secondary outcomes). Materials and methods: An eight-week (8-wk) randomized controlled-feeding study involved 68 adults with overweight/obesity (40 women, BMI: 33 ± 4 kg/m2). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the energy-restricted (−500 kcal/d) groups: control (CT, free-nuts), cashew nut (CN, 30 g/d), or cashew nut oil (OL, 30 mL/d). Body weight, body composition, and blood collection were assessed at the baseline and endpoint of the study. Results: After 8-wk, all groups reduced significantly body fat (CT: −3.1 ± 2.8 kg; CN: −3.3 ± 2.7 kg; OL: −1.8 ± 2.6 kg), body weight (CT: −4.2 ± 3.8 kg; CN: −3.9 ± 3.1 kg; OL: −3.4 ± 2.4 kg), waist (CT: −5.1 ± 4.6 cm; CN: −3.9 ± 3.9 cm; OL: −3.7 ± 5.3 cm) and hip circumferences (CT: −2.9 ± 3.0 cm; CN:−2.7 ± 3.1 cm; OL: −2.9 ± 2.3 cm). CN group reduced liver enzymes (AST: −3.1 ± 5.3 U/L; ALT:−6.0 ± 9.9 U/L), while the OL-group reduced LDL-c (−11.5 ± 21.8 mg/dL) and atherogenic index (−0.2 ± 0.5). Both intervention groups decreased neck circumference (CN: −1.0 ± 1.2 cm; OL: −0.5 ± 1.2 cm) and apo B (CN: −6.6 ± 10.7 mg/dL; OL: −7.0 ± 15.3 mg/dL). Conclusion: After an 8-wk energy-restricted intervention, all groups reduced body fat (kg), weight, and some others adiposity indicators, with no different effect of cashew nut or cashew nut oil. However, participants in the intervention groups experienced additional reductions in atherogenic marker, liver function biomarkers, and cardiovascular risk factors (neck circumference and apo B levels), with these effects observed across the OL group, CN group, and both intervention groups, respectively.
Nishi, S.K., I. Paz-Graniel, J. Ni, C. Valle-Hita, N. Khoury, J.F. Garcia-Gavilán, N. Babio, J. Salas-Salvadó, 2024. Effect of nut consumption on blood lipids: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2024.10.009
Aims: Nuts are nutrient-dense foods touted for their health-promoting effects, especially regarding cardiovascular health, yet inconsistencies in the literature remain in relation to their effect on blood lipids. Hence, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to determine the effect of nut intake on blood lipids. Data synthesis: MEDLINE-PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched. 113 unique trials met eligibility criteria (n = 8060 adults with various health status) assessing the effect of a median daily dose of 45.5 g/d of nuts compared to a non-nut control on blood lipid outcomes met inclusion criteria. Overall, nut consumption resulted in moderate reductions in total cholesterol (mean difference, −0.14 mmol/L [95 % confidence interval, −0.18 to −0.10 mmol/L]) and LDL-C (−0.12 mmol/L [-0.14 to −0.09 mmol/L]), with small reductions in triglycerides (−0.05 mmol/L [-0.07 to −0.03 mmol/L]), TC:HDL-C (−0.11 [-0.16 to −0.06]), LDL-C:HDL-C (−0.19 [-0.24 to −0.12]), and apolipoprotein B (−0.04 g/L [-0.06 to −0.02 g/L]). There was no significant impact on HDL-cholesterol or other assessed measures. Certainty of evidence was high for apolipoprotein A, and generally moderate/low for all other outcomes. Sensitivity analysis did not change the evidence on the main outcomes. Significant effect modifications in subgroup analysis were shown for most of the lipid parameters assessed. None of these subgroup effects altered the evidence of heterogeneity for any primary outcome. Conclusions: Current evidence provides a good indication that consuming nuts may advantageously affect blood lipids in adults with a mix of health status.
