Nuts!!!

[Bill Glasheen]

Is diet important for an athlete at the prime of his carreer? Ask the wife of fallen pitcher Darryl Kile.

Heart trouble likely killed Kile

Granted this is a rare death. It's tragic though to ponder the fact that Darryl's father died at the age of 44, and nobody thought to check his cardiovascular status. This is a classic "Jim Fixx" scenario.

Jim Fixx

First, one must understand that heart disease is a multifactorial proposition. Many things - including family history - come into play. But regardless of the cards dealt, there are still things we can effect to change the parameters of the equation. Not smoking is probably the first one. Exercise is also important, as is managing weight. But more and more elements of diet are coming into play. Elements of the Mediterrranean diet in particular come to mind.

Just this morning I heard of a study of physician that showed several servings of nuts a week reduced their risk of a coronary event by over 40%. That's staggering when you consider the the magnitude of the effect compared to the trouble of doing the right thing. I looked for the publication online, but have not yet been able to find it. However here are a number of other articles on nuts in the diet that should interest you. In particular, note that the major "active" ingredient - certain fatty acids within the nut oil or fat - have not been linked to weight gain as one might imagine. Interesting... The same general findings, by the way, have been associated with olive oil. But the nut thing in particular goes beyond nut oils. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>J Am Coll Nutr 2002 Jun;21(3):275-83

Effect on body weight of a free 76 Kilojoule (320 calorie) daily supplement of almonds for six months.

Fraser GE, Bennett HW, Jaceldo KB, Sabate J.

Center for Health Research, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, California 92350, USA. gfraser@sph.llu.edu

OBJECTIVE: Regular nut consumption is associated with lower rates of heart attack. However, as nuts are fatty foods, they may in theory lead to weight gain, although preliminary evidence has suggested otherwise. We tested the hypothesis that a free daily supplement (averaging 76 kJ) of almonds for six months, with no dietary advice, would not change body weight. METHODS: Eighty-one male and female subjects completed the randomized cross-over study. During two sequential six-month periods, diet, body weight and habitual exercise were evaluated repeatedly in each subject. Almonds were provided only during the second period. The design was balanced for seasonal and other calendar trends. RESULTS: During the almond feeding period, average body weight increased only 0.40 (kg) (p approximately 0.09). The weight change depended on baseline BMI (p = 0.05), and only those initially in the lower BMI tertiles experienced small and mainly unimportant weight gains with the almonds. We estimated that 54% (recalls) or 78% (diaries) of the extra energy from almonds was displaced by reductions in other foods. The ratio unsaturated/saturated dietary fat increased by 40% to 50% when almonds were included in the diet. CONCLUSION: Incorporating a modest quantity (76 kJ) of almonds in the diet each day for six months did not lead on average to statistically or biologically significant changes in body weight and did increase the consumption of unsaturated fats. Further studies are necessary to evaluate longer term effects, especially in men.

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J Nutr 2002 May;132(5):1062S-1101S

The scientific evidence for a beneficial health relationship between walnuts and coronary heart disease.

Feldman EB.

Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA.

The author and four independent experts evaluated the intent and quality of scientific evidence for a potential beneficial health relationship between the intake of walnuts and the reduction and prevention of coronary heart disease. The report also addresses the supporting evidence for the health benefit of other tree nuts and selected legumes. Compared to most other nuts, which contain monounsaturated fatty acids, walnuts are unique because they are rich in n-6 (linoleate) and n-3 (linolenate) polyunsaturated fatty acids. Walnuts contain multiple health-beneficial components, such as having a low lysine:arginine ratio and high levels of arginine, folate, fiber, tannins, and polyphenols. Though walnuts are energy rich, clinical dietary intervention studies show that walnut consumption does not cause a net gain in body weight when eaten as a replacement food. Five controlled, peer-reviewed, human clinical walnut intervention trials, involving approximately 200 subjects representative of the 51% of the adult population in the United States at risk of coronary heart disease were reviewed. The intervention trials consistently demonstrated walnuts as part of a heart-healthy diet, lower blood cholesterol concentrations. None of these studies were of extended duration that would be essential for evaluation of the sustainability of the observed outcomes. These results were supported by several large prospective observational studies in humans, all demonstrating a dose response-related inverse association of the relative risk of coronary heart disease with the frequent daily consumption of small amounts of nuts, including walnuts.

Publication Types:
Review
Review, Academic

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J Nutr 2002 Apr;132(4):703-7 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut


Almonds and almond oil have similar effects on plasma lipids and LDL oxidation in healthy men and women.

Hyson DA, Schneeman BO, Davis PA.

Department of Nutrition, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

Epidemiologic and clinical studies have shown that nut consumption is associated with favorable plasma lipid profiles and reduced cardiovascular risk. These effects may result from their high monounsaturated fat (MUFA) content but nuts contain constituents other than fatty acids that might be cardioprotective. We conducted a study to compare the effects of whole-almond vs. almond oil consumption on plasma lipids and LDL oxidation in healthy men and women. Using a randomized crossover trial design, 22 normolipemic men and women replaced half of their habitual fat (approximately 14% of approximately 29% energy) with either whole almonds (WA) or almond oil (AO) for 6-wk periods. Compliance was ascertained by monitoring dietary intake via biweekly 5-d food records, return of empty almond product packages and weekly meetings with a registered dietitian. Fat replacement with either WA and AO resulted in a 54% increase in percentage of energy as MUFA with declines in both saturated fat and cholesterol intake and no significant changes in total energy, total or polyunsaturated fat intake. The effects of WA and AO on plasma lipids did not differ compared with baseline; plasma triglyceride, total and LDL cholesterol significantly decreased, 14, 4 and 6% respectively, whereas HDL cholesterol increased 6%. Neither treatment affected in vitro LDL oxidizability. We conclude that WA and AO do not differ in their beneficial effects on the plasma lipid variables measured and that this suggests that the favorable effect of almonds is mediated by components in the oil fraction of these nuts.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial

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J Nutr 2002 Mar;132(3):461-71 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut


A systematic screening of total antioxidants in dietary plants.

Halvorsen BL, Holte K, Myhrstad MC, Barikmo I, Hvattum E, Remberg SF, Wold AB, Haffner K, Baugerod H, Andersen LF, Moskaug O, Jacobs DR Jr, Blomhoff R.

Institute for Nutrition Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway.

A predominantly plant-based diet reduces the risk for development of several chronic diseases. It is often assumed that antioxidants contribute to this protection, but results from intervention trials with single antioxidants administered as supplements quite consistently do not support any benefit. Because dietary plants contain several hundred different antioxidants, it would be useful to know the total concentration of electron-donating antioxidants (i.e., reductants) in individual items. Such data might be useful in the identification of the most beneficial dietary plants. We have assessed systematically total antioxidants in a variety of dietary plants used worldwide, including various fruits, berries, vegetables, cereals, nuts and pulses. When possible, we analyzed three or more samples of dietary plants from three different geographic regions in the world. Total antioxidants was assessed by the reduction of Fe(3+) to Fe(2+) (i.e., the FRAP assay), which occurred rapidly with all reductants with half-reaction reduction potentials above that of Fe(3+)/Fe(2+). The values, therefore, expressed the corresponding concentration of electron-donating antioxidants. Our results demonstrated that there is more than a 1000-fold difference among total antioxidants in various dietary plants. Plants that contain most antioxidants included members of several families, such as Rosaceae (dog rose, sour cherry, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry), Empetraceae (crowberry), Ericaceae (blueberry), Grossulariaceae (black currant), Juglandaceae (walnut), Asteraceae (sunflower seed), Punicaceae (pomegranate) and Zingiberaceae (ginger). In a Norwegian diet, fruits, berries and cereals contributed 43.6%, 27.1% and 11.7%, respectively, of the total intake of plant antioxidants. Vegetables contributed only 8.9%. The systematic analysis presented here will facilitate research into the nutritional role of the combined effect of antioxidants in dietary plants.

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J Lipid Res 2001 Dec;42(12):2069-76

Walnut-enriched diet increases the association of LDL from hypercholesterolemic men with human HepG2 cells.

Munoz S, Merlos M, Zambon D, Rodriguez C, Sabate J, Ros E, Laguna JC.

Pharmacology Unit, School of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

In a randomized, cross-over feeding trial involving 10 men with polygenic hypercholesterolemia, a control, Mediterranean-type cholesterol-lowering diet, and a diet of similar composition in which walnuts replaced approximately 35% of energy from unsaturated fat, were given for 6 weeks each. Compared with the control diet, the walnut diet reduced serum total and LDL cholesterol by 4.2% (P = 0.176), and 6.0% (P = 0.087), respectively. No changes were observed in HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein A-I levels or in the relative proportion of protein, triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesteryl esters in LDL particles. The apolipoprotein B level declined in parallel with LDL cholesterol (6.0% reduction). Whole LDL, particularly the triglyceride fraction, was enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids from walnuts (linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids). In comparison with LDL obtained during the control diet, LDL obtained during the walnut diet showed a 50% increase in association rates to the LDL receptor in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. LDL uptake by HepG2 cells was correlated with alpha-linolenic acid content of the triglyceride plus cholesteryl ester fractions of LDL particles (r(2) = 0.42, P < 0.05). Changes in the quantity and quality of LDL lipid fatty acids after a walnut-enriched diet facilitate receptor-mediated LDL clearance and may contribute to the cholesterol-lowering effect of walnut consumption.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

- Bill

[T Rose]

hey bill,

Interesting about nuts. People like the Gracie family have been promoting special diets for their competitors for years. The diet consist of fruits and nuts but the real
interesting thing is the way the combine and do not combine foods. Don't know much more about it than that. There is some information on their website.

later