Time and Intervention Effects of Daily Almond Intake on the Changes of Lipid Profile and Body Composition Among Free-Living Healthy Adults

Abstract

Favorable health benefits of almond have been shown in several previous studies. However, repeated measures, randomized, controlled trials to investigate the changes due to almond intake based on the time effects have not yet been reported. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of daily almond intake on changes in body composition and lipid profiles for 20 weeks with four measurements among healthy adults. Participants in the almond group showed favorable changes on blood lipid profiles, including levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL-C) after consuming 56 g of almond per day for 20 weeks compared with those at baseline. At week 20, subjects in the almond group showed significantly decreased TC, LDL-C, non-HDL-C, TG, body fat mass, and waist–hip ratio compared with those of the control group who consumed isocaloric control food. The mixed model also confirmed that there were significant time effects in several bioimpedance indicators (i.e., total body protein, fat-free mass, etc.) and all of the lipid profile parameters in the almond group. These results confirm the effects of lipid-lowering and modifying body composition of almond consumption. In addition, our results suggest that the measuring time points would be critical to capture the effects of dietary intervention.

Effects of Consuming Almonds on Insulin Sensitivity and Other Cardiometabolic Health Markers in Adults With Prediabetes

“…A 2009 meta-analysis on RCT data found a neutral effect of almond intake on serum lipid profiles (46); several RCTs published since then have reported a potentially beneficial effect of almond intake on fasting lipoprotein lipids (19,47). For example, a study in healthy men and women showed that 20-week intake of 56 g/d (2 oz/d) almonds reduced total-C, LDL-C, and TG compared to intake of an isocaloric, high-CHO food (47). Another study in healthy adults with elevated LDL-C demonstrated that intake of 1.5 oz/d almonds for 6 weeks reduced non-HDL-C and LDL-C compared to daily intake of an isocaloric, high-CHO muffin (19).…”

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

“…Moreover, the authors also speculated further mechanisms involving improvements in both body weight and body composition. Although some studies did not demonstrate significant changes in body composition after supplementation with almonds (as will be discussed below), in healthy subjects long-term supplementation (20 weeks) with 56 g almonds daily resulted in improvements to the lipid profile (reductions in TC, LDL-c, non-HDL-c and TG serum levels) and decreased fat mass and waist-to-hip ratio [59], suggesting that, at least in this class of subjects, nut consumption may positively affect the body's fat storage, pointing to a further possible mechanism of the lipid-ameliorating effect.…”

“…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.…”

A Comprehensive Review of Almond Clinical Trials on Weight Measures, Metabolic Health Biomarkers and Outcomes, and the Gut Microbiota

“…Ten RCTs evaluated the effects of "snacking" on 50-84 g almonds/day compared to isocaloric carbohydrate-based snacks consisting of cereal bars, cookies, crackers, minimuffins, biscuits, potato chips, or a variety of snack choices, including low-fat potato chips, bagels, rice cakes, pretzels, vanilla cookies, dried mango slices, or pudding cups, with the usual diet in individuals ranging from 18 to >60 years for 4-20 weeks to examine changes in hunger, satiety, energy intake, and body weight and composition [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. Snacking on almonds was more effective than snacking on savory crackers for acutely reducing the overall hunger drive, but there was no overall 24 h difference in energy intake [40].…”