A healthy diet is one component of the type of lifestyle that should be promoted to deal with this global health concern. Several healthy dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet and a vegetarian diet have nuts as a key food component. Given their interesting nutritional profile, the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group (DNSG) of the EASD (European Association for the Study of Diabetes) commissioned a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to summarize the evidence of the association between nut consumption and the incidence of, and mortality from, certain CVD outcomes[2].
A systematic search, limited to human studies, was conducted in the PubMed and Cochrane databases. In total, 19 prospective studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis.
A 13% reduction in the risk of CVD incidence was observed up to a consumption of 10 g/day, compared to no consumption. For CVD mortality and CHD mortality, a 29% and 32% lower risk was observed, respectively, at approximately 15-20 g/day. Similarly, for stroke mortality, a 16% reduction in the risk was observed up to a consumption of 5 g/day.
In conclusion, a beneficial role of total nut consumption was observed in reducing the incidence of, and mortality from, different CVD outcomes.
A systematic search, limited to human studies, was conducted in the PubMed and Cochrane databases. In total, 19 prospective studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis.
A 13% reduction in the risk of CVD incidence was observed up to a consumption of 10 g/day, compared to no consumption. For CVD mortality and CHD mortality, a 29% and 32% lower risk was observed, respectively, at approximately 15-20 g/day. Similarly, for stroke mortality, a 16% reduction in the risk was observed up to a consumption of 5 g/day.
In conclusion, a beneficial role of total nut consumption was observed in reducing the incidence of, and mortality from, different CVD outcomes.
[1] World Health Organization. WHO Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). 2017: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds). Accessed July 12, 2019.
[2] Becerra-Tomás, N., Paz-Graniel, I., Kendall, C.W.C., Kahleova, H., Rahelić, D., Sievenpiper, J.L., Salas-Salvadó, J. (2019). Nut consumption and incidence of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular disease mortality: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Nutrition Reviews, doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuz042.