Daily almond snack improves health of people with metabolic syndrome
A daily dose of almonds improved key health markers for people with metabolic syndrome in a study led by scientists at Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute and the OSU College of Health.
The findings, published in Nutrition Research, showed that eating 2 ounces of almonds – about 45 nuts – daily led to signs of better cardiometabolic and gut health.
The research is important because almost 40% of the U.S. adult population is estimated to have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that significantly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome has also recently been linked with cognitive dysfunction and dementia.
Patients are considered to have metabolic syndrome if they have at least three of the following: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of “good” cholesterol, and high levels of triglycerides.
“Evidence suggests that people with metabolic syndrome are three times as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke and twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease compared to people without this condition,” said Emily Ho, director of the Linus Pauling Institute. “Poor diet and inactivity contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome, and gut health and chronic inflammation may also play roles.”
Ho and Laura Beaver, a research associate in the Oregon State College of Health, devised a 12-week clinical trial involving two groups of people ages 35-60 with metabolic syndrome. One group ate 320 calories’ worth of almonds every day. The other ate crackers with the same caloric value but without many of the healthy fats, protein and micronutrients found in almonds.
At four weeks and again at 12 weeks, blood samples from the almond snackers showed, as expected, a marked increase in vitamin E, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound found in almonds. Just one ounce of almonds contains 50% of the daily value for vitamin E – the highest amount found in one serving of any tree nut.
The researchers also saw changes in other important health biomarkers among people in the almond group, including declines in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (often referred to as “bad” cholesterol) and waist circumference. Almond snacking also appeared to help limit gut inflammation, an indicator of gut health.
“There are many reasons to believe that almonds could benefit gut health,” Beaver said. “In addition to vitamin E, almonds have polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, fiber, polyphenols, biotin, copper, potassium and magnesium. A full assessment of the nutritional impact of almonds is ongoing, but the changes in cholesterol levels we saw suggest that a metabolic shift occurred in people who snacked on almonds daily.”
The diets of more than 90% of Americans fall short of the daily estimated average requirement for vitamin E, noted co-author Maret Traber, and many people aren’t even coming close. Vitamin E is important for the proper function of many organs, nerves and muscles, and is also an anticoagulant that can reduce blood clotting.
Even factoring in those who take supplements, vitamin E remains a nutrient of concern in the U.S. Consuming almonds could help fill this gap.
“Unless there is concern about nut allergies, it’s easy to recommend a handful or two of almonds as a healthy snack, especially for people concerned about their metabolic disease risk,” Ho said.
Original publication
Laura M. Beaver, Scott W. Leonard, Sandra L. Uesugi, Carmen P. Wong, Lily-Marie Lytle, Anusha Vasudevan, Ethan M. Papenhausen, Yashasvini Jupudi, Deborah Bella, Gerd Bobe, Maret G. Traber, Emily Ho; "Beneficial changes in total cholesterol, LDL-C, biomarkers of intestinal inflammation, and vitamin E status in adults with metabolic syndrome consuming almonds as snack foods: a randomized controlled clinical trial"; Nutrition Research, Volume 139
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