Effects of one serving of mixed nuts on serum lipids, insulin resistance and inflammatory markers in patients with the metabolic syndrome.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to assess the effects of nut intake on metabolic syndrome components, including adiposity, serum lipids, insulin resistance, and inflammatory biomarkers.
Results Summary
The study found that a nut-supplemented diet improved insulin sensitivity and reduced fasting insulin and HOMA-insulin resistance, but did not significantly affect LDL-cholesterol compared to the control diet. Inflammatory markers like IL-6 showed improvement with the nut diet, though significance was attenuated after adjusting for weight loss.
Population
50 patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Effective Dosage
30 g/day of mixed nuts (15 g walnuts, 7.5 g almonds, 7.5 g hazelnuts).
Duration
12 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
healthy diet recommendations | decrease | weight | patients with MetS | - | Moderate weight loss | #1 |
healthy diet recommendations | decrease | adiposity | patients with MetS | - | decreased | #2 |
healthy diet recommendations | decrease | blood pressure | patients with MetS | - | lower | #3 |
Control diet (healthy diet recommendations without nuts) | decrease | LDL-cholesterol | patients with MetS | -0.36 mmol/L | significant reduction | #4 |
Nut diet (healthy diet recommendations with 30 g/day of raw nuts) | decrease | fasting insulin | patients with MetS | -2.60 μU/mL | reduced | #5 |
Nut diet (healthy diet recommendations with 30 g/day of raw nuts) | decrease | HOMA-insulin resistance | patients with MetS | -0.72 | reduced | #6 |
Nut diet (healthy diet recommendations with 30 g/day of raw nuts) | decrease | plasma IL-6 | patients with MetS | -1.1 ng/L | resulted in changes | #7 |
Control diet (healthy diet recommendations without nuts) | decrease | stool fat | patients with MetS | - | decreased | #8 |
Nut diet (healthy diet recommendations with 30 g/day of raw nuts) | increase | stool fat | patients with MetS | - | slightly increased | #9 |
daily intake of 30 g of mixed nuts | decrease | lipid responsiveness | patients with MetS | - | decreased lipid responsiveness | #10 |
daily intake of 30 g of mixed nuts | increase | insulin sensitivity | patients with MetS | - | improved | #11 |
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Knowledge of the effect of nut consumption on metabolic syndrome (MetS) components is limited. We assessed the effects of nut intake on adiposity, serum lipids, insulin resistance, and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with MetS. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a randomized, parallel-group, 12-week feeding trial, 50 patients with MetS were given recommendations for a healthy diet with or without supplementation with 30 g/day of raw nuts (15 g walnuts, 7.5 g almonds and 7.5 g hazelnuts) (Nut and Control diet groups, respectively). Adiposity measures, serum lipids, insulin, Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other inflammatory biomarkers, and 48-h fecal fat were determined basally and at study's completion. Moderate weight loss, decreased adiposity, and lower blood pressure occurred similarly after both diets. The Control, but not the Nut diet, was associated with significant (P<0.05) reduction of LDL-cholesterol, with mean changes of -0.36 versus -0.13 mmol/L, respectively (between-group differences, P=0.154). The Nut diet reduced fasting insulin by 2.60 μU/mL (95% CI, -4.62 to -0.59) and HOMA-insulin resistance by 0.72 (-1.28 to -0.16) (P<0.05 versus Control diet; both). Among inflammatory markers, the Nut diet resulted in changes of median plasma IL-6 of -1.1 ng/L (-2.7 to -0.1; P=0.035 versus Control diet), but adjustment for weight loss attenuated the significance of the association. Stool fat decreased with the Control diet and slightly increased with the Nut diet (P<0.05 for between-group differences). CONCLUSION: Patients with MetS show decreased lipid responsiveness but improved insulin sensitivity after daily intake of 30 g of mixed nuts.