PRESS RELEASE
The consumption of nuts can help cardiometabolic health and
older people’s memory, attention and reasoning, experts say
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Four international researches have presented the latest findings on nuts and health
at the European Nutrition Conference.
They have shown that the consumption of nuts can prevent Metabolic Syndrome (a
group of metabolic abnormalities that includes abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia,
elevated blood pressure, and hyperglycemia, all of which are well-documented risk
factors for cardiovascular disease); can benefit cognitive function in older men; and
have potential prebiotic properties.
Berlin, 21st October 2015. The International Nut and Dried Fruit Council has organized a symposium
to present to the media the new findings of the benefits of nuts on health, which has taken place
at the European Nutrition Conference in Berlin.
Four international experts have explained new findings on nuts and health. Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó,
from Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain); Dr. Fran Grodstein, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and
Harvard Medical School (USA); Dr. Giuseppina Mandalari, from University of Messina (Italy), and Dr.
Volker Mai, from University of Florida (USA), shared the latest scientific studies on the beneficial
effects of nuts, such as cardiometabolic health or the relationship between the consumption of nuts
and better cognitive function in older men.
Prof. Salas-Salvadó, from Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain), explained in the lecture “Nuts and
Cardiometabolic Health” that nut consumption can help patients with metabolic syndrome (1),
which is a clustering of medical conditions such as abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure,
elevated fasting plasma glucose, high serum triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
levels. Also, they have proven that participants with metabolic syndrome are more likely to reverse
the syndrome when they consumed nuts in the context of a healthy diet.
In this symposium, Dr. Fran Grodstein (Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School,
USA) explained that there is a relation between increased consumption of nuts and better cognitive
function in older men, which encompasses processing speed, memory, attention, and learning.
Specifically, the researchers have shown that men age 67 and older eating more than 2 servings of
nuts per week have better results on neuropsychologic tests.
Dr. Giusseppina Mandalari presented the lecture “Nuts and digestion”. Her team study has
demonstrated that pistachios release important nutrients and antioxidants during digestion (2).
Researchers also assessed the lipid bioaccessibility of almonds thanks to an in vitro model of
digestion consisting of a dynamic gastric model, which provided a convincing explanation for why
More info:
Marian Abrines
T. +34 932 419 150 // +34 610 764 223
[email protected]
almonds have a low metabolizable energy content and an attenuated impact on postprandial lipemia
(3).
In the same symposium, Dr. Volker Mai, from the University of Florida, presented the lecture “Tree
Nuts and the Gut; Supporting Healthy Microbiota”. Researchers studied whether the consumption of
1.5 ounces of almonds in adults and 0.5 ounces in children changes gastrointestinal function. The
study found that almonds consumption resulted in detectable changes in bacterial taxa particularly
in children, some with potential beneficial characteristics.
About the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council
The International Nut & Dried Fruit Council (INC) groups nearly 700 nut and dried fruit-sector
companies from over 70 countries. INC is the international organization of reference regarding health,
nutrition, statistics, food safety, international standards and regulations relating to nuts and dried fruit.
References:
1)
Babio N, Toledo E, Estruch R, Ros E, Martínez-González MA, Castañer O, Bulló M, Corella D, Arós F,
Gómez-Gracia E, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V, Fiol M, Lapetra J, Lamuela-Raventos RM, Serra-Majem L, Pintó X,
Basora J, Sorlí JV, Salas-Salvadó J; PREDIMED Study Investigators. Mediterranean diets and
metabolic syndrome status in the PREDIMED randomized trial. CMAJ. 2014 Nov 18;186(17):E649-57.
2)
Mandalari G, Bisignano C, Filocamo A, Chessa S, Sarò M, Torre G, Faulks RM, Dugo P. Bioaccessibility
of pistachio polyphenols, xanthophylls, and tocopherols during simulated human digestion. Nutrition.
2013 Jan;29(1):338-44.
3)
Mandalari G, Grundy MM, Grassby T, Parker M, Cross KL, Chessa S, Bisignano C, Barreca D, Bellocco
E, Lagana´G, Butterworth PJ, Faulks RM, Wilde P, Ellis PR, Waldron KW. The effect of processing and
mastication on almond lipid bioaccessibility using novel methods of in vitro digestion modelling and
microstructural analysis. Br J Nutr. 2014 112: 1521-1529 .
More info:
Marian Abrines
T. +34 932 419 150 // +34 610 764 223
[email protected]