Nut consumption and risk of heart failure in the Physicians' Health Study I

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is highly prevalent among older adults and is associated with high cost and societal burden. Although previous studies have reported beneficial effects of dietary factors on heart failure predictors; no previous study has examined whether frequent consumption of nuts is associated with a lower risk of heart failure in a large prospective […]

Early consumption of peanuts in infancy is associated with a low prevalence of peanut allergy

BACKGROUND: Despite guidelines recommending avoidance of peanuts during infancy in the United Kingdom (UK); Australia; and; until recently; North America; peanut allergy (PA) continues to increase in these countries. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the prevalence of PA among Israeli and UK Jewish children and evaluate the relationship of PA to infant and maternal peanut […]

Olive oil and walnut breakfasts reduce the postprandial inflammatory response in mononuclear cells compared with a butter breakfast in healthy men

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is crucial in all stages of atherosclerosis; and few studies have investigated the effect of dietary fat on markers of inflammation related to this disease during the postprandial period. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the chronic effects of dietary fat on the postprandial expression of proinflammatory genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in healthy […]

Effect of a low-glycemic index or a high-cereal fiber diet on type 2 diabetes: a randomized trial

CONTEXT: Clinical trials using antihyperglycemic medications to improve glycemic control have not demonstrated the anticipated cardiovascular benefits. Low-glycemic index diets may improve both glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors for patients with type 2 diabetes but debate over their effectiveness continues due to trial limitations. OBJECTIVE: To test the effects of low-glycemic index diets on […]

Fatty acid composition of California grown almonds

Eight almond (Prunus dulcis L.) cultivars from 12 different California counties; collected during crop years 2004 to 2005 and 2005 to 2006; were extracted with petroleum ether. The extracts were subjected to GC-MS analyses to determine fatty acid composition of soluble lipids. Results indicated palmitic (C16:0); oleic (C18:1); linoleic (C18:2); and alpha-linolenic (C18:3) acid; respectively; […]

Effect of a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented With Nuts on Metabolic Syndrome Status. One-Year Results of the PREDIMED Randomized Trial

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest that the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) may reduce the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome (MetS). We compared the 1-year effect of 2 behavioral interventions to implement the MedDiet vs advice on a low-fat diet on MetS status. Methods: A total of 1224 participants were recruited from the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta […]

Nut consumption and risk of hypertension in US male physicians

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and dietary factors may play an important role in its prevention. We sought to examine the association between nut consumption and incident hypertension. METHODS: Prospective cohort of 15;966 participants from the Physicians' Health Study I who were free of hypertension at baseline. Nut consumption […]

Tree nut and peanut consumption in relation to chronic and metabolic diseases including allergy

The New and Emerging Research session highlighted the emerging understanding of both the positive and negative effects of nuts consumption on health. The limited nature of both experimental and epidemiological evidence for positive relationship(s) between nut intake and health were noted. Study inconsistency and limitations; particularly survey methodology; were explored. Recent results from epidemiologic studies […]