Brazil and cashew nuts intake improve body composition and endothelial health in women at cardiometabolic risk (Brazilian Nuts Study): a randomized controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the effects of Brazil and cashew nuts within an energy-restricted diet on body weight, body composition, cardiometabolic markers, and endothelial function in women at cardiometabolic risk.
Results Summary
The study found that Brazil and cashew nuts improved body composition (reduced total body fat, increased lean mass percentage), increased plasma selenium levels, and reduced endothelial inflammation (VCAM-1). However, lipid and glucose profiles, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure remained unchanged.
Population
Women at cardiometabolic risk.
Effective Dosage
45 g daily (15 g Brazil nuts + 30 g cashew nuts).
Duration
8 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brazil and cashew nuts intake within an energy-restricted diet | increase | plasma selenium concentration | cardiometabolic risk women | ∆ = + 31.5 ± 7.8 μg/L | increased | #1 |
Brazil and cashew nuts intake within an energy-restricted diet | decrease | total body fat | cardiometabolic risk women | -1.3 ± 0.4 % | reduced | #2 |
Brazil and cashew nuts intake within an energy-restricted diet | increase | lean mass percentage | cardiometabolic risk women | - | improvement of | #3 |
Brazil and cashew nuts intake within an energy-restricted diet | decrease | soluble adhesion molecule VCAM-1 | cardiometabolic risk women | 24.03 ± 15.7 pg/mL vs. -22.2 ± 10.3 pg/mL | decreased | #4 |
Brazil and cashew nuts intake within an energy-restricted diet | no change | lipid profile markers | cardiometabolic risk women | - | remained unchanged | #5 |
Brazil and cashew nuts intake within an energy-restricted diet | no change | glucose profile markers | cardiometabolic risk women | - | remained unchanged | #6 |
Brazil and cashew nuts intake within an energy-restricted diet | no change | apolipoproteins | cardiometabolic risk women | - | remained unchanged | #7 |
Brazil and cashew nuts intake within an energy-restricted diet | no change | blood pressure | cardiometabolic risk women | - | remained unchanged | #8 |
Several mechanisms have been proposed for the beneficial effect of nuts on health. However, Brazil and cashew nuts remain the least studied. We aim to evaluate the effect of these nuts within an energy-restricted diet on body weight, body composition, cardiometabolic markers, and endothelial function in cardiometabolic risk women. Brazilian nuts study is a randomized controlled parallel 8-week dietary intervention trial. Forty women were randomly allocated to 1) Control group: Energy-restricted diet without nuts, n= 19 or, 2) Brazil and cashew nuts group (BN-Group): Energy-restricted diet containing daily 45 g of nuts (15 g of Brazil nuts + 30g of cashew nuts), n= 21. At the beginning and final intervention, anthropometry, body composition, and blood pressure were measured. Fasting blood sampling was obtained to evaluate lipid profile, glucose homeostasis, and endothelial function markers. After 8-week, plasma selenium concentration increased in BN-group (∆ = + 31.5 ± 7.8 μg/L; p= 0.001). Brazil and cashew nuts intake reduced total body fat (-1.3 ± 0.4 %) parallel to improvement of lean mass percentage in BN-group compared to the control. Besides, the soluble adhesion molecule VCAM-1 decreased (24.03 ± 15.7 pg/mL vs. -22.2 ± 10.3 pg/mL; p= 0.019) after Brazil and cashew nuts intake compared to the control. However, lipid and glucose profile markers, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure remained unchanged after the intervention. Thus, the addition of Brazil and cashew nuts to an energy-restricted diet can be a healthy strategy to improve body composition, selenium status, and endothelial inflammation in cardiometabolic risk women.