Abstract
Long term nut consumption is associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease and better cognitive function. This study examined supplementing habitual diets with almonds or carbohydrate-rich snack foods (providing 15% energy) on biomarkers of cardiovascular and metabolic health, mood and cognitive performance. Participants (overweight/obese, 50–80 years) were randomised to an almond-enriched diet (AED) or isocaloric nut-free diet (NFD) for 12 weeks. Body weight, blood lipids, glucose, insulin, blood pressure (BP), arterial stiffness, cell adhesions molecules, C reactive protein (CRP), mood, and cognitive performance (working memory primary outcome), dietary profiles and energy intake/expenditure were measured at baseline and Week 12 in 128 participants (n = 63 AED, n = 65 NFD). Compared with NFD, AED was associated with altered macro and micronutrient profiles, but no differences in energy intake or expenditure. The AED significantly reduced triglycerides and SBP but there were no other changes in cardiometabolic biomarkers, mood, or cognitive performance. The inclusion of almonds in the diet improves aspects of cardiometabolic health without affecting cognitive performance or mood in overweight/obese adults.
Highlights
Habitual nut intake has long been associated with cardiovascular benefits including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1], decreased incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) [2], and decreased risk of type II diabetes [3]
The aim of this study was, to compare an almond-enriched diet with a nut-free diet over 12 weeks on biomarkers of cardiometabolic health, mood and cognitive performance in overweight/obese middle-aged to older adults
We found no significant difference in attention, memory or executive function between groups nor did we see changes in endothelial cell adhesion molecules or arterial stiffness, suggesting that this hypothesis may not be consistent for all nut types or the length of intervention or dose provided in this study was insufficient to elicit this change
Summary
Habitual nut intake has long been associated with cardiovascular benefits including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1], decreased incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) [2], and decreased risk of type II diabetes [3]. Components of MetS, e.g., hypertension, impaired glucose regulation, dyslipidemia, obesity, and inflammation represent modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline [5] and can impair cognitive function [6]. Improvement in these factors, through dietary change, has been shown to modulate. Nut consumption represents one aspect of nutrition with wide ranging benefits that may counteract these negative influences, including reducing oxidative damage and inflammation, and improving vascular responsiveness [8,9,10]. Improvements in vascular function associated with nut intake are proposed to improve cardiovascular health and contribute to improving cognitive function [11]. Clinical trials have found improvements in vascular health following consumption of walnuts [12], hazelnuts [13], and almonds [14], but this has not been a consistent finding in all studies, possibly due to differences in methods of assessing vascular health, differences in populations evaluated, dose, or length of the period of consumption [9,10]
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