Nutrition attributes and health effects of pistachio nuts.

Epidemiological and/or clinical trials have suggested that nut consumption has a beneficial impact on health outcomes such as hypertension, diabetes, CVD, cancer, other inflammatory conditions and total mortality. Nuts are nutrient-dense foods with a healthy fatty acid profile, as well as provide other bioactive compounds with recognised health benefits. Among nuts, pistachios have a lower fat and energy content and the highest levels of K, γ-tocopherol, vitamin K, phytosterols, xanthophyll carotenoids, certain minerals (Cu, Fe and Mg), vitamin B6 and thiamin. Pistachios have a high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. The aforementioned characteristics and nutrient mix probably contribute to the growing body of evidence that consumption of pistachios improves health. The present review examines the potential health effects of nutrients and phytochemicals in pistachios, as well as epidemiological and clinical evidence supporting these health benefits.

Effect of pistachio consumption on plasma lipoprotein subclasses in pre-diabetic subjects.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Nuts have been demonstrated to improve several cardiovascular risk factors and the lipid profile in diabetic and pre-diabetic subjects. However, analysis of conventional serum lipid profiles does not completely explain the atherogenic risk associated with pre-diabetes. We therefore investigated whether chronic consumption of pistachio modifies the lipoprotein subclasses to a healthier profile in pre-diabetic subjects. METHODS AND RESULTS: Randomized cross-over clinical trial in 54 subjects with pre-diabetes. Subjects consumed a pistachio-supplemented diet (PD, 50% carbohydrates, 33% fat, including 57 g/d of pistachios daily) and a control diet (CD, 55% carbohydrates, 30% fat) for 4 months each, separated by a 2-week wash-out. Diets were isocaloric and matched for protein, fiber and saturated fatty acids. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was performed to determine changes in plasma lipoprotein subclasses. Small low-density lipoprotein particles (sLDL-P) significantly decreased after pistachio consumption compared to the nut-free diet (P = 0.023). The non-high-density lipoprotein particles (non-HDL-P i.e. VLDL-P plus LDL-P) significantly decreased under the PD compared to CD (P = 0.041). The percentage of sHDL-P increased by 2.23% after the PD compared with a reduction of 0.08% after the CD (P = 0.014). Consequently, the overall size of HDL-P significantly decreased in the PD (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Chronic pistachio consumption could modify the lipoprotein particle size and subclass concentrations independently of changes in total plasma lipid profile, which may help to explain the decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality associated with those individuals who frequently consumed nuts. REGISTRATION NUMBER: This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01441921.

Changes in circulating miRNAs in healthy overweight and obese subjects: Effect of diet composition and weight loss.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that can play an important role in several chronic metabolic conditions, including obesity. However, to date little is known about how they are regulated. Weight loss induced by surgical procedures has been effective at modulating specific circulating miRNAs, but the effect of energy-restricted diets with different macronutrient compositions on circulating miRNAs is not well understood. The objective of the present analysis was to explore the effect of three energy-restricted diets of different macronutrient composition and carbohydrate quality on plasma miRNA levels. METHODS: The GLYNDIET study is a 6-month, parallel, randomized clinical trial conducted on overweight and obese subjects who were randomized to one of three different dietary intervention groups: i) a moderate-carbohydrate and low glycemic index diet (LGI), ii) a moderate-carbohydrate and high glycemic index diet (HGI), and iii) a low-fat and high glycemic index diet (LF). We assessed the genome-wide circulating miRNA profile in a subsample of eight randomly selected participants. A total of 8 miRNAs (miR-411, miR-432, miR-99b, miR-340, miR-423, miR-361, let-7c) were differently quantified according to diet intervention, and were therefore longitudinally validated in 103 participants before and after the energy-restricted diets. RESULTS: Circulating miR-361 levels were lower in the LGI group than in the HGI group, even after adjusting for differences in weight loss. The intra-group analyses demonstrated a significant down-regulation of all miRNAs screened in our study subjects after the LGI intervention. Similarly, miR-139 and miR-340 were down-regulated after the HGI intervention, while miR-139, miR-432 and miR-423 were down-regulated after the low-fat diet. Changes in circulating miR-139 and let-7c were significantly associated with changes in lipid profile and insulin resistance. CONCLUSION: An energy-restricted low-glycemic index diet down-regulates circulating miRNA-361 more than an energy-restricted high-glycemic index, regardless of the magnitude of the weight loss.

Acilcarnitinas en plasma y riesgo de insuficiencia cardiaca y fibrilación auricular: el estudio Prevención con dieta mediterránea / Plasma acylcarnitines and risk of incident heart failure and atrial fibrillation: the Prevención con dieta mediterránea study

Introducción y objetivos La desregulación del metabolismo de los ácidos grasos en la mitocondria es un mecanismo involucrado en el desarrollo de insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) y fibrilación auricular (FA). Se evaluó la asociación entre la concentración plasmática de acilcarnitinas y la incidencia de IC o FA y si la dieta mediterránea (DietMed) puede atenuar la asociación entre las acilcarnitinas y el riesgo de IC o FA. Métodos Dos estudios de casos y controles anidados en el ensayo Prevención con dieta mediterránea (PREDIMED). Se incluyó a participantes con elevado riesgo cardiovascular en España: 326 casos incidentes de IC y 509 de FA se emparejaron individualmente con 1 a 3 controles. Las acilcarnitinas en plasma se midieron con espectrometría de masas en tándem con cromatografía líquida de alta resolución. Se ajustaron modelos de regresión logística condicional para estimar las OR multivariables y los IC95%. Se evaluaron interacciones multiplicativas y aditivas por el grupo de intervención, obesidad (índice de masa corporal ≥ 30) y diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Resultados Las altas concentraciones de acilcarnitinas de cadena mediana y larga se asociaron con un mayor riesgo de IC (respectivamente, ORporDE ajustada=1,28; IC95%, 1,09-1,51, y ORporDE ajustada=1,21; IC95%, 1,04-1,42). Se observó una asociación significativa entre las acilcarnitinas de cadena larga y el riesgo de FA: 1,20 (1,06-1,36). Se encontró una interacción aditiva entre las acilcarnitinas de cadena larga y la FA con la DietMed suplementada con aceite de oliva virgen extra (p de interacción=0,036) y con la obesidad (p=0,022) de forma inversa y directa respectivamente. Conclusiones En las personas con alto riesgo cardiovascular, las altas concentraciones de acilcarnitinas de cadena larga se asocian con mayor riesgo de IC y FA incidentes. Una intervención con DietMed+aceite de oliva virgen extra puede reducir el riesgo asociado con las acilcarnitinas de cadena larga (AU)

Introduction and objectives Fatty acid metabolic dysregulation in mitochondria is a common mechanism involved in the development of heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). We evaluated the association between plasma acylcarnitine levels and the incidence of HF or AF, and whether the mediterranean diet (MedDiet) may attenuate the association between acylcarnitines and HF or AF risk. Methods Two case-control studies nested within the Prevención con dieta mediterránea (PREDIMED) trial. High cardiovascular risk participants were recruited in Spain: 326 incident HF and 509 AF cases individually matched to 1 to 3 controls. Plasma acylcarnitines were measured with high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Conditional logistic regression models were fitted to estimate multivariable OR and 95%CI. Additive and multiplicative interactions were assessed by intervention group, obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2), and type 2 diabetes. Results Elevated levels of medium- and long-chain acylcarnitines were associated with increased HF risk (adjusted ORperDE, 1.28; 95%CI, 1.09-1.51 and adjusted ORperDE, 1.21; 95%CI, 1.04-1.42, respectively). A significant association was observed for AF risk with long-chain acylcarnitines: 1.20 (1.06-1.36). Additive interaction of the association between long-chain acylcarnitines and AF by the MediDiet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (P for additive interaction=.036) and by obesity (P=.022) was observed in an inverse and direct manner, respectively. Conclusions Among individuals at high cardiovascular risk, elevated long-chain acylcarnitines were associated with a higher risk of incident HF and AF. An intervention with MedDiet+extra-virgin olive oil may reduce AF risk associated with long-chain acylcarnitines (AU)