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Nut Consumption May Help Battle Metabolic Syndrome

By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, January 15, 2012, abstracted from “Metabolomics Unveils Urinary Changes in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome following 12-Week Nut Consumption” in the Journal of Proteome Research, 2011 November 4;10 (11):5047-58

Metabolic Syndrome affects over 47 million Americans and is characterized by central obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen), increased blood pressure (130/85 mmHg or higher), and insulin resistance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar). Metabolic Syndrome is known as “Syndrome X” because it consists of so many symptoms (1). Because the average medication for a patient with Metabolic Syndrome costs $4,000 per year, it has been called “the most expensive disease you’ve never heard of” (2).

Natural options for battling Metabolic Syndrome include 4 grams of phytosterols per day (3), 40 mL olive oil with high antioxidants increased olive oil intake (4) and following a Mediterranean Diet (5). Now a new study (6) has identified increased nut consumption as a way to help battle Metabolic Syndrome.

In the study, 42 patients between the ages of 31 and 63 and diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome followed either a control diet consisting of dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association (7) or the American Heart Association Guidelines supplemented with 30 grams per day of nuts (15 grams of walnuts, 7.5 grams of almonds and 7.5 grams of hazelnuts). The patients were not restricted to a set number of calories or servings of food but rather instructed to:

- Follow a fruit and vegetables-rich diet

- Consume whole-grain, high-fiber foods

- Choose fat-free or low-fat dairy products,

- Eat fish at least twice a week,

- Control cholesterol and saturated fat intake by replacing red meat with white meats

- Limit hydrogenated vegetable oils, salt and alcohol intake

- Limit sweetened soft drinks and snacks

The researchers provided individual nutritional counseling to all subjects at the beginning of the study and every 4 weeks during the trial to increase adherence to the AHA dietary guidelines. Urine samples were obtained after the study to measure for certain metabolites that would signify altered metabolism and a possible lessening of Metabolic Syndrome.

The patients in the nut group had a 94% compliance rate in consuming the extra 30 grams of nuts per day over the 12 weeks, indicating a reasonable diet intervention for Metabolic Syndrome patients. The supplementation of nuts to the diet resulted in:

- 17% more calories than the control group (1874 vs. 1596 calories/day)

- 13.5% higher fat consumption (36.8 vs. 32.4% total calories)

- 9.5% lower carbohydrate consumption (41.4 vs. 45.7% of total calories/day)

- 9% lower protein consumption (19.0 vs. 20.8% total calories)

Urinalysis showed 20 different breakdown products (called metabolites) in the urine of the nut group not found in the control group. One of the most significant metabolites were urolithins, known to possess “potential antioxidant effects” (8) as well as having a “potential role…in reducing inflammation and improving cardiovascular health” (9).

The researchers also identified breakdown products of a nerve chemical called serotonin, which is produced in the gut and has been shown to help control inflammation levels and decrease both cell damage and cardiovascular disease markers (10).

For the researchers, this study “led to the unveiling of the important effects of a 12-week consumption of nuts [in Metabolic Syndrome patients].”

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

Reference:

1. American Heart Association Website: “Metabolic Syndrome” www.americanheart.org

2. “Metabolic Syndrome: The Most Expensive Disease You’ve Never Heard Of” http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/24042.php

3. Phytosterols supplementation decreases plasma small and dense LDL levels in metabolic syndrome patients on a westernized type diet. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2010, doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2010.12.004

4. Camargo A. Gene expression changes in mononuclear cells in patients with metabolic syndrome after acute intake of phenol-rich virgin olive oil. BMC Genomics 2010, 11:253; doi:10.1186/1471-2164-11-253

5. Rumawas M. Mediterranean-style dietary pattern, reduced risk of metabolic syndrome traits, and incidence in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;90 1608-1614

6. Tulipani S, Llorach R, Jáuregui O, López-Uriarte P, Garcia-Aloy M, Bullo M, Salas-Salvadó J, Andrés-Lacueva C. Metabolomics Unveils Urinary Changes in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome following 12-Week Nut Consumption. Journal of Proteome Research, 2011

7. Krauss RM. AHA dietary guidelines: revision 2000: A statement for healthcare professionals from the nutrition committee of the American Heart Association. Circulation 2000, 102 (18), 2284–2299.

8. “Urolithins, Intestinal Microbial Metabolites of Pomegranate Ellagitannins, Exhibit Potent Antioxidant Activity in Cell-Based Assay” - http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=257383

9. Cerda, B. The potent in vitro antioxidant ellagitannins from pomegranate juice are metabolised into bioavailable but poor antioxidant hydroxy_6H_dibenzopyran_6_ one derivatives by the colonic microflora of healthy humans. Eur. J. Nutr. 2004, 43 (4), 205–220.

10. Koyama, N. Effects of safflower seed extract supplementation on oxidation and cardiovascular risk markers in healthy human volunteers. Br. J. Nutr. 2009, 101 (04), 568–575.