The study is among the first to investigate these effects in Asian Indians
A recent randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Nutrition sought to evaluate the effect of premeal pistachio supplementation on cardiometabolic risk factors in Asian Indian adults with prediabetes.
A total of 120 participants with prediabetes were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. The intervention group ate 30 grams of pistachios before breakfast and another 30 grams before dinner for 12 weeks, while the control group followed a routine diet that excluded nuts. Researchers assessed the effect of pistachio supplementation on cardiovascular risk markers, including blood sugar (glycemic) indicators.
The findings showed that this program of premeal pistachio supplementation significantly improved blood sugar control and lowered post-meal blood glucose levels in Asian Indians with prediabetes, without leading to weight gain. This study is among the first to investigate these effects in Asian Indians. The findings suggest that preloading meals with pistachios could promote satiety and help stall patients’ progression from prediabetes to diabetes.
The study was led by Dr. V. Mohan, Chairman of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation in Chennai, India, in collaboration with researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA, including Dr. Walter Willett, Dr. Frank Hu, and Dr. Shilpa N. Bhupathiraju, as well as Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó from Rovira i Virgili University, Spain. This study was supported by the American Pistachio Growers.
Ashwini, K., Abirami, K., Gayathri, R., Sasikala, S., Sudha, V., Shobana, S., Jeevan, R. G., Krishnaswamy, K., Deepika, V., Rajalakshmi, M., Bai R, M. R., Parkavi, K., Padmavathi, S., Anjana, R. M., Unnikrishnan, R., Hu, F. B., Willett, W. C., Salas-Salvadó, J., Bhupathiraju, S. N., & Mohan, V. (2025). Effect of Premeal Pistachio Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among Asian Indian Adults with Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of Nutrition, S0022-3166(24)01231-8. Advance online publication.