INC hosts historic first meeting of health researchers from around the world, where diabetes was defined as a topic of focus for future investigation in nut and dried fruit research.
From October 20-21, 2022, the world’s leading researchers gathered for NUTS 2022 to discuss the current and future of health research on nuts and dried fruits. NUTS 2022 was a historic gathering of the brightest minds in the field of nutrition research on nuts and dried fruits. Twenty-five researchers and professors from universities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Iran, Italy, Norway, Spain, Türkiye, UK and USA, summarized the latest evidence related to the health benefits of nuts and dried fruits, and then discussed and defined gaps, new topics, needs and opportunities in research for the future.
Chaired by Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Chairman of the INC Nutrition Research Committee and Distinguished Professor at Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the meeting included highly-esteemed researchers like Dr. Frank Hu, Chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. David Jenkins, professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Dr. Joan Sabaté, professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Loma Linda University, and Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition at Penn State University, among others.
The effects of nut and dried fruit consumption have gained traction over the last years, and supported by growing scientific evidence they have been associated with a myriad of health benefits, from cardiovascular health to insulin resistance and diabetes, weight management, lipoproteins and dyslipidemia, inflammation and oxidation, gut health, aging and cognition, and some forms of cancer. More recently, other lines of research have included fertility and nuts and dried fruits as part of sustainable diets. While some areas of research have been put into focus more than others, there is irrefutable evidence that they are nutrient-dense foods with an interesting nutritional composition.
At the meeting, it was highlighted how a joint effort must be made to help bring awareness to the importance of including nuts and dried fruits as part of a healthy diet. The benefits of nuts are wide-ranging and include a variety of nutrients, mono- and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and antioxidants, all which have a beneficial effect on health, and dried fruits contain essential nutrients and health-promoting bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, which may help reduce cell damage.
Among the future lines of research discussed in the meeting, participants highlighted the potential role of nuts and dried fruits in the prevention of diabetes, which is of particular relevance in today’s world. According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are currently 537 million people worldwide with diabetes, and this number is projected to reach 700 million people by 2045. Prevalence is increasing worldwide, leading to over 4 million deaths every year, and in countries such as China and India, the number of deaths attributable to diabetes are extremely high: 1.4 million and 648,000 people, respectively. Lifestyle measures and a healthy diet have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes, which is the most common type of diabetes.
The proceedings from NUTS 2022 will be published in a special issue of the prestigious scientific journal Nutrients.
See the pictures from NUTS2022
See the Official Press Release