Nuts and Cardio-Metabolic Disease: A Review of Meta-Analyses

Abstract

Objectives: Accumulating epidemiological and intervention evidence suggest that nut consumption is associated with reduced incidence of some cardiometabolic diseases. However, to date no review of meta-analyses of epidemiological and intervention studies has evaluated the effects of nut consumption on cardiometabolic disease. Design/Results: Electronic searches for meta-analyses of epidemiological and intervention studies were undertaken in PubMed®/MEDLINE®. Meta-analyses of prospective studies show that nut consumption appears to be associated with reduced all-cause mortality by 19–20% (n = 6), cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence (19%; n = 3) and mortality (25%; n = 3), coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence (20–34%; n = 2) and mortality (27–30%; n = 2) and stroke incidence (10–11%; n = 7) and mortality (18%; n = 2). No association between nut consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was observed in meta-analyses of prospective studies, whereas a decrease in fasting blood glucose ranging from 0.08 to 0.15 mmol/L was observed in 3 meta-analyses of intervention studies. In the interventions, nut consumption also had favorable effects on total cholesterol (0.021 to 0.28 mmol/L reduction from 8 meta-analyses of interventions) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.017 to 0.26 mmol/L reduction from 8 meta-analyses of interventions) and endothelial function (0.79 to 1.03% increase in flow-mediated dilation from 4 meta-analyses of interventions). Nut consumption did not significantly affect body weight. Nut consumption had no effect on inflammatory markers in intervention studies. The effect on blood pressure was inconsistent. A higher nut consumption was associated with a lower incidence of hypertension in prospective studies, while nut consumption did not improve blood pressure in intervention studies. Conclusions: Nut consumption appeared to be associated with lower all-cause mortality and CVD and CHD mortality. There was no association between nut consumption and the incidence of T2DM although fasting blood glucose is decreased in intervention studies. In intervention studies nuts lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

Does Nut Consumption Reduce Mortality and/or Risk of Cardiometabolic Disease? An Updated Review Based on Meta-Analyses

“…The suggested schematic figure showing metabolic effects and effects on clinical endpoints based on our previous publication [3] is briefly described in Figure 1. As previously reported [4], nut consumption was inversely associated with all-cause mortality (−19% to −20%; n = 6), cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality (−25%; n = 3), coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality (−27% to −30%; n = 2), and stroke mortality (−18%; n = 2). Moreover, nut consumption was associated with lowered risks of CVD (−19%; n = 3), CHD (−20% to −34%; n = 2), stroke (−10% to −11%; n = 7), and hypertension (−15%; n = 3) from meta-analyses of prospective studies.…”

“…Reference lists of chosen articles were also screened for related publications. A previous review [4] examined 34 meta-analyses, and this review added 7 new meta-analyses [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. A flow chart for the identified studies is included in this review in Figure 2.…”

“…This reduction was similar to that shown in other meta-analyses. In the previous review [4], three meta-analyses [21][22][23] of prospective studies reported a 19-25% lower rate of CVD mortality comparing the highest and lowest consumptions. A 19-25% reduction in CVD mortality was seen in these 4 meta-analyses [8,[21][22][23].…”

“…This reduction was similar to that shown in other metaanalyses. In the previous review [4], three meta-analyses […”

Association of Adherence to Specific Mediterranean Diet Components and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Young Adults

“…Nuts have unique nutritional profiles and are comprised of 43-67% fat and 8-22% protein by weight. Moreover, nuts are abundant in unsaturated fatty acids (containing both monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids) and only 4-5% of saturated fatty acids [7,8]. Therefore, the benefits are believed to outweigh the advantages.The results of recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses show that nut consumption appeared to be associated with lower all-cause mortality and risk of cardiometabolic disease [8].…”