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Pistachio nut consumption may protect against type 2 diabetes
As part of a regular diet, pistachio nuts could stave off type 2 diabetes due to a resulting decreased insulin resistance that protects against disease development, according to research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Chronic consumption of the tree nut, rich in unsaturated fatty acids and bioactive compounds, could potentially improve health outcomes for people at risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
“Frequent consumption of pistachios could improve glucose and insulin metabolism in people with prediabetes,” Mònica Bulló, PhD, of the human nutrition unit, faculty of medicine and health sciences, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Reus, Spain, told Endocrine Today.
Bulló and colleagues followed 54 people with prediabetes for 4 months in a randomized, crossover clinical trial that included a 2-week wash-out period.
Mònica Bulló
Participants were assigned to a control diet or a pistachios diet (57 g daily); the isocaloric diets did not differ in content of saturated fatty acids or cholesterol. The researchers assessed anthropometry, blood pressure, dietary habits and physical activity at baseline and monthly. Hemostatic, inflammatory, oxidative and related metabolic risk markers were evaluated through blood samples collected at baseline and the beginning and the end of each intervention period.
At 4 months, significant decreases were seen in fasting glucose with the pistachio diet (–5.17; 95% CI, –8.14 to –2.19) compared with the control diet (6.72; 95% CI, 4.38-9.07). The metabolic risk markers fibrinogen, glucagon-like peptide-1, oxidized LDL and platelet factor 4 showed significant decreases with the pistachio diet vs. control diet. (P<.05). Compared with the control diet, the pistachio diet group showed a decrease in HbA1c and serum LDL cholesterol levels, but not significantly significant. There were no significant changes in BMI between groups.
Bulló and colleagues continue their research of the health benefits of nut consumption. “We recommend the intake of nuts, including pistachios, as a part of daily diet because of their healthy properties,” Bulló said. — by Allegra Tiver
For more information:
Bulló M. Abstract T5:OS2.3. Presented at: 21st European Congress on Obesity; May 28-31, 2014; Sofia, Bulgaria.
Disclosure: The study was funded by the Western Pistachios Association, now known as the American Pistachio Growers (USA), and Paramount Farms.
For More Information: Bulló can be reached at the Human Nutrition Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Pere Virgili Institute for Investigating Health, Rovira i Virgili University, Reus, Spain; email: monica.bullo@urv.cat.