A calorie-restricted diet enriched with tree nuts and peanuts reduces the expression of CX3CR1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with coronary artery disease.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine the effects of a low-calorie diet with and without mixed nuts on gut bacterial abundance, metabolic markers, and gene expression in PBMCs in overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease.
Results Summary
The study found that a nut-enriched low-calorie diet led to a significant reduction in CX3CR1 expression and a tendency toward lower TLR4 expression in PBMCs, as well as a trend toward increased fecal Prevotella abundance. No significant changes were observed in plasma insulin or adiponectin levels.
Population
Overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease of both genders.
Effective Dosage
39-60 g/d of mixed nuts (equal parts unsalted pistachios, almonds, and peanuts).
Duration
8 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
low-calorie diet enriched with 39-60 g/d of mixed nuts (CRDEN) | decrease | expression of CX3CR1 in PBMCs | overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease | p=0.04 | A significant reduction in expression | #1 |
low-calorie diet enriched with 39-60 g/d of mixed nuts (CRDEN) | decrease | expression of TLR4 in PBMCs | overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease | p=0.06 | a tendency to lower expression | #2 |
low-calorie diet enriched with 39-60 g/d of mixed nuts (CRDEN) | increase | abundance of fecal Prevotella | overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease | p=0.06 | tended to increase | #3 |
low-calorie diet enriched with 39-60 g/d of mixed nuts (CRDEN) | no change | Plasma insulin | overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease | no significant changes | had no significant changes | #4 |
low-calorie diet enriched with 39-60 g/d of mixed nuts (CRDEN) | no change | Plasma adiponectin | overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease | no significant changes | had no significant changes | #5 |
- | neutral | fecal Prevotella abundance and plasma adiponectin | overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease | r=0.315, p=0.015 at baseline; r=0.380, p=0.003 at end of study | positive correlation | #6 |
Background: The modification of the gut microbiome has been proposed to alter immune response which is a key driver in low-grade inflammation as well as metabolic markers. This study was conducted to determine the effects of a low-calorie diet with and without nuts on some gut bacterial abundance, metabolic markers, and gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in stable coronary artery disease patients with overweight or obesity. Methods: Overweight or obese patients with stable coronary artery disease of both genders were randomly allocated to a nut-free calorie-restricted diet as 25% of energy deficit (CRD) or a CRD enriched with 39-60 g/d of mixed nuts (CRDEN) for 8 weeks (32 patients in CRD and 35 patients in CRDEN). Mixed nuts consisted of equal amounts of unsalted pistachios, almonds, and peanuts. Microbiota analysis was performed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method on feces collected before and after the intervention, using primers targeting 16S ribosomal DNA of 4 different bacterial genera, including Bacteroides, Prevotella, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus. We examined the plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, adiponectin as well as expression of toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1) in PBMCs. Results: A significant reduction in expression of CX3CR1 (p=0.04) and a tendency to lower expression of TLR4 in PBMCs (p=0.06) was observed in the CRDEN group at the end of the study compared to the CRD group. The abundance of fecal Prevotella also tended to increase in CRDEN compared to the CRD group (p=0.06). Plasma insulin and adiponectin had no significant changes. There was a positive correlation between fecal Prevotella abundance and plasma adiponectin at baseline (r=0.315, p=0.015) and the end of the study (r=0.380, p=0.003). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the inclusion of mixed tree nuts and peanuts in a low-calorie diet for 8 weeks led to a lower CX3CR expression in PBMCs in a cohort of overweight or obese patients with stable CAD. This finding provides another beneficial effect of diet supplemented with nuts on factors associated with inflammation. Trial registration: this clinical study has been registered at the clinical trial registration center (clinicaltrial.gov): NCT04078919 on September 6, 2019.