Health benefits of pistachios consumption

Terzo, Simona; Baldassano, Sara; Caldara, Gaetano Felice; Ferrantelli, Vincenzo; Dico, Gianluigi Maria Lo; Mulè, Flavia; Amato, Antonella

doi:10.1080/14786419.2017.1408093

Cited by 36 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…However, the changes in the stress markers were less pronounced in the HFD-P brain, confirming the antioxidant activity of the pistachio, already demonstrated in other HFD tissues [15]. These properties could be related to the presence of phytosterols (stigmasterol and campesterol), lutein (xanthophyll carotenoid), and polyphenols (resveratrol and catechins) [48,49].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Regular Intake of Pistachio Mitigates the Deleterious Effects of a High Fat-Diet in the Brain of Obese Mice

et al. 2020

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Obesity has been associated with neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunctions. Recent data showed that pistachio consumption is able to prevent and ameliorate dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, systemic and adipose tissue inflammation in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of pistachio intake in HFD mice. Three groups of mice were fed a standard diet (STD), HFD, or HFD supplemented with pistachio (HFD-P) for 16 weeks. Metabolic parameters (oxidative stress, apoptosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction) were analyzed by using specific assays and biomarkers. The pistachio diet significantly reduced the serum levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the HFD model. No difference was observed in the index of insulin resistance between HFD and HFD-P. A higher number of fragmented nuclei were found in HFD cerebral cortex compared to STD and HFD-P. A decrease in reactive oxygen species, singlet oxygen and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and an increase of superoxide dismutase 2 and heme oxygenase expression were found in the brains of the HFD-P samples compared to HFD. Furthermore, the impaired mitochondrial function found in HFD brain was partially recovered in HFD-P mice. These results suggest that the regular intake of pistachio may be useful in preventing obesity-related neurodegeneration, being able to reduce both metabolic and cellular dysfunctions.The positive effects of the Mediterranean diet on health have been well documented [9,10]. The longevity of one Mediterranean population, over 90 years old without dementia, was attributed to the nutraceutical components of the Mediterranean diet [11]. Functional food has been reported to delay or inhibit neurodegeneration, suggesting their employment as an alternative therapeutic strategy for correlated diseases [12][13][14].Benefits of nut consumption (mainly pistachios, walnuts, and almonds) have been described in studies on both animals and humans [15,16]. Daily nut consumption can improve dysmetabolic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related cardiovascular diseases [17,18]. In particular, Pistacia atlantica oleoresin has been proposed as an agent that protects the body against conditions associated with oxidative stress [19], including memory impairment, in lipopolysaccharide-treated rats [20]. Nevertheless, the potential beneficial impact of nut intake on neurodegenerative disorders, as well as on other cognitive-behavioral deficits, has been poorly explored.Compared to other nuts, pistachios possess a healthier nutritional profile, with low-fat content, high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (13.3 g/100 g) and mono-unsaturated fatty acids (24.5 g/100 g), minerals (potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium) and vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, and vitamins B). Phytochemicals of pistachio show high bioavailability, contributing to the beneficial relationship between pistachio consumption and health-related outcomes [21]. Furthermore, recent data have demonstra...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Regular Intake of Pistachio Mitigates the Deleterious Effects of a High Fat-Diet in the Brain of Obese Mice

et al. 2020

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“…It is widely accepted that the consumption of nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, as a part of the daily diet provides beneficial effects on human health [17]. Among nuts, Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is the healthiest due to its fatty acid composition and bioactive compound content (such as lutein and anthocyanin) [18,19]. In recent years, the anti-inflammatory effects of pistachios and the anti-inflammatory activity of its components have been the object of numerous studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pistachio Consumption Alleviates Inflammation and Improves Gut Microbiota Composition in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Terzo

Mulè

Caldara

et al. 2020

IJMS

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High-fat diet (HFD) induces inflammation and microbial dysbiosis, which are components of the metabolic syndrome. Nutritional strategies can be a valid tool to prevent metabolic and inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if the chronic intake of pistachio prevents obesity-associated inflammation and dysbiosis in HFD-fed mice. Three groups of male mice (four weeks old; n = 8 per group) were fed for 16 weeks with a standard diet (STD), HFD, or HFD supplemented with pistachios (HFD-P; 180 g/kg of HFD). Serum, hepatic and adipose tissue inflammation markers were analyzed in HFD-P animals and compared to HFD and STD groups. Measures of inflammation, obesity, and intestinal integrity were assessed. Fecal samples were collected for gut microbiota analysis. Serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels were significantly reduced in HFD-P compared to HFD. Number and area of adipocytes, crown-like structure density, IL-1β, TNF-α, F4-80, and CCL-2 mRNA expression levels were significantly reduced in HFD-P subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues, compared to HFD. A significant reduction in the number of inflammatory foci and IL-1β and CCL-2 gene expression was observed in the liver of HFD-P mice compared with HFD. Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was reduced in HFD-P mice in comparison to the HFD group. A pistachio diet significantly increased abundance of healthy bacteria genera such as Parabacteroides, Dorea, Allobaculum, Turicibacter, Lactobacillus, and Anaeroplasma, and greatly reduced bacteria associated with inflammation, such as Oscillospira, Desulfovibrio, Coprobacillus, and Bilophila. The intestinal conductance was lower in HFD-P mice than in the HFD mice, suggesting an improvement in the gut barrier function. The results of the present study showed that regular pistachio consumption improved inflammation in obese mice. The positive effects could be related to positive modulation of the microbiota composition.

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“…Health benefits of regular nut consumption (mainly pistachios, almonds, and walnuts) have been well-documented in studies both on animals and humans [7,8,9]. Daily nut consumption can improve dysmetabolic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and related cardiovascular diseases [10,11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compared to other nuts, pistachios have a higher amount of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) [9,13,14]. They are rich in phytosterols (stigmasterol and campesterol), lutein (xanthophyll carotenoid), and polyphenols (resveratrol and catechins) [9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. These substances are known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions [9,16,17,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are rich in phytosterols (stigmasterol and campesterol), lutein (xanthophyll carotenoid), and polyphenols (resveratrol and catechins) [9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. These substances are known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions [9,16,17,18]. Therefore, regular pistachio intake could have higher beneficial potential than other nuts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pistachio Consumption Prevents and Improves Lipid Dysmetabolism by Reducing the Lipid Metabolizing Gene Expression in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

et al. 2018

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Pistachios contain beneficial substances such as unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, and polyphenols. In the present study, we investigated if pistachio consumption is able to prevent or to revert hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and adipose tissue morphological alterations caused by high fat diet (HFD) in the mouse. Moreover, the impact of pistachio intake on the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ), fatty acid transport proteins (FAT-P), fatty acid synthase (FAS), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1), and sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor-1c (SREBP-1c) in liver and adipose tissue was also analyzed. No change in body weight, food intake, and hyperglycemia was observed between mice consuming pistachios (HFD-P) and HFD mice. Pistachio intake was able to prevent but not to reverse HFD-induced hypertriglyceridemia. Cholesterol plasma levels, steatosis grading, body fat mass, and adipocyte size were significantly lower in HFD-P group compared to HFD in both prevention and reversal protocol. Pistachio-diet was able to prevent HFD-induced overexpression of PPAR-γ, FAS, and SCD1 in the liver and SREBP-1c, PPAR-γ, and FAT-P in adipose tissue. Similarly, HFD-P significantly ameliorated the expression levels of FAT-P and SCD1 in the liver and SREBP-1c, FAS, and SCD1 in adipose tissue of obese mice. The present study shows that pistachio consumption is able to prevent and to ameliorate obesity-related dysfunctions by positively modulating the expression of genes linked to lipid metabolism.

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Health benefits of pistachios consumption

Cited by 36 publications

References 55 publications

Regular Intake of Pistachio Mitigates the Deleterious Effects of a High Fat-Diet in the Brain of Obese Mice

Regular Intake of Pistachio Mitigates the Deleterious Effects of a High Fat-Diet in the Brain of Obese Mice

Pistachio Consumption Alleviates Inflammation and Improves Gut Microbiota Composition in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Pistachio Consumption Prevents and Improves Lipid Dysmetabolism by Reducing the Lipid Metabolizing Gene Expression in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

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