Scientific Study

Successful weight management represents a challenge to obesity control. Evidence suggests that nut consumption promotes a prolonged satiety response. Therefore, we hypothesize that nuts could be associated with greater weight loss in comparison to the control group, and we evaluate the acute and long-term effects of Brazilian nuts (BN: 15g of Brazil nuts + 30g of cashew nuts) included in an energy-restricted intervention on food intake, appetite, and peptide hormones. We conducted an 8-week, randomized, open-label, controlled, parallel-arm clinical trial with 28 women at cardiometabolic risk that received an energy-restricted diet containing BN or an energy-restricted nut-free diet (control). At baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention, subjective postprandial appetite ratings were assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after consumption (0, 10, 60, 120, 180, and 240 min) of a 437 kcal nut-enriched (BN group) or nut-free (control) breakfast meal. Subsequently, an ad libitum lunch was served, and they completed another VAS at 280 min. Plasma concentrations of ghrelin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and leptin were measured at fasting and postprandially at 60, 120, and 240 min. Lastly, subsequent reported 24h energy intake was assessed in a free-living setting. BN consumption did not have acute effects on food intake, appetite, or peptide hormones. However, after an 8-week intervention, postprandial ghrelin (ΔAUC) decreased in BN group in comparison to the control (mean difference, 1978 pg/mL∙min, 95% CI, 27-3929 pg/mL∙min; p = 0.047). Therefore, an energy-restricted diet containing demonstrated potential to decrease hunger in cardiometabolic risk women. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2022.11.003