Effect of almond consumption on vascular function in patients with coronary artery disease: a randomized, controlled, cross-over trial

Abstract

ObjectiveAlmonds reduce cardiovascular disease risk via cholesterol reduction, anti-inflammation, glucoregulation, and antioxidation. The objective of this randomized, controlled, cross-over trial was to determine whether the addition of 85 g almonds daily to a National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Step 1 diet (ALM) for 6 weeks would improve vascular function and inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).Research design and methodsA randomized, controlled, crossover trial was conducted in Boston, MA to test whether as compared to a control NCEP Step 1 diet absent nuts (CON), incorporation of almonds (85 g/day) into the CON diet (ALM) would improve vascular function and inflammation. The study duration was 22 weeks including a 6-weeks run-in period, two 6-weeks intervention phases, and a 4-weeks washout period between the intervention phases. A total of 45 CAD patients (27 F/18 M, 45–77 y, BMI = 20-41 kg/m2) completed the study. Drug therapies used by patients were stable throughout the duration of the trial.ResultsThe addition of almonds to the CON diet increased plasma α-tocopherol status by a mean of 5.8 %, reflecting patient compliance (P ≤0.05). However, the ALM diet did not alter vascular function assessed by measures of flow-mediated dilation, peripheral arterial tonometry, and pulse wave velocity. Further, the ALM diet did not significantly modify the serum lipid profile, blood pressure, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α or E-selectin. The ALM diet tended to decrease vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 by 5.3 % (P = 0.064) and increase urinary nitric oxide by 17.5 % (P = 0.112). The ALM intervention improved the overall quality of the diet by increasing calcium, magnesium, choline, and fiber intakes above the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) or Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).ConclusionsThus, the addition of almonds to a NECP Step 1 diet did not significantly impact vascular function, lipid profile or systematic inflammation in CAD patients receiving good medical care and polypharmacy therapies but did improve diet quality without any untoward effect.Trial registrationThe trial was registered with the ClinicalTrials.Gov with the identifier: NCT00782015.

Effects of Dark Chocolate and Almonds on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Randomized Controlled‐Feeding Trial

“…The results were not consistent with the results from previous studies in which the level of plasma α‐tocopherol was increased after the consumption of almonds 8, 42. The baseline plasma α‐tocopherol concentration in our population was between the 50th and 90th percentiles, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2006.…”

Almonds (Prunus Dulcis Mill. D. A. Webb): A Source of Nutrients and Health-Promoting Compounds

“…In the last 20 years, the consumption of almonds has risen significantly [55], suggesting that both in the general population and for producers the perception of these nuts has evolved from a convenient snack to an essential food for maintaining human health [56]. In a large body of studies, indeed, the consumption of almonds has been associated with various health benefits, including the modulation of serum lipid [57][58][59][60] and glucose levels [61][62][63][64][65], the regulation of body weight [66], and protection from several diseases, such as diabetes [67,68], obesity [69][70][71] and cardiovascular diseases [64,[72][73][74][75][76][77]. In the present section, we summarize the most relevant evidence, derived from clinical trials carried out on humans, demonstrating the beneficial health effects of almond consumption.…”

“…In addition to lipidemic control, various studies focused on the role of almond supplementation in modulating glucose homeostasis [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75]. As shown in Table 6, the studies are rather different in terms of their study populations, intervention, duration and outcomes.…”

“…According to the aforementioned evidence, this might be enough to recommend the regular consumption of almonds to achieve a reduction in cardiovascular risk in susceptible subjects. However, various studies directly investigated the role of almond consumption in various factors related to cardiovascular diseases, including the glucose and lipid profile [64,[72][73][74][75][76][77], body fat [64,72], inflammation-related markers [64,73] and vascular outcomes [73]. However, the reported studies have differences in terms of population, intervention, duration and results, providing no weighted evidence for a general conclusion on the positive role of almond consumption in the management of cardiovascular diseases.…”

“…In 2015, Chen and colleagues [73] conducted a study on 45 patients with coronary artery disease following a six-week diet with 85 g almonds daily. After the intervention period, the researchers observed no significant improvements in vascular outcomes, evaluated by measuring the flow-mediated dilation, one of the most accredited techniques for monitoring the endothelial function; similarly, no significant improvements were observed in serum parameters, including lipids, C reactive protein (CRP), tumor-necrosis factor (TNF)-α and E-selectin.…”