Read this month's promotional update, with news from Chile and the United States. 

In the journal Frontiers in Nutrition a recent study was published that examined the association of nut consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease within the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The study specifically used the Iranian population to assess this association.

A recent meta-analysis was published in the highly respected journal, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that aimed to examine how the consumption of nuts is associated with type 2 diabetes and if nuts can play a role in reducing the risk of the disease. Many previous studies are troubled by methodological controversies and therefore, an updated meta-analysis was welcomed.

In the journal, Age and Ageing, a new study aimed to observe the association between consuming nuts midlife and the risk of cognitive impairment later in life. As previous literature on this subject is limited, this study provided a good starting point for analyzing this association.

A recent study published in the journal Heart examined how the Mediterranean diet can potentially reduce cardiometabolic risk. Moreover, this study aimed to look at the effect of a green Mediterranean diet further supplemented with plant-based foods and lower meat intake.

With the start of 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health released their new dietary guidelines that will remain in place until 2025.

The newest edition of the INC Academia is set to begin next month, February 2021.

Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 97.8 million. The global death toll recently surpassed 2.12 million people. The worst affected country is the US, followed by India and Brazil. In the Americas, there are more than 43.7 million confirmed cases, over 32 million in Europe, more than 12.6 million in South-East Asia, and over 2.4 million in Africa.