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Acute effects of diets rich in almonds and walnuts on endothelial function

Indian Heart J. 2018 Jul – Aug;70(4):497-501.

Acute effects of diets rich in almonds and walnuts on endothelial function.

Bhardwaj R1, Dod H2, Sandhu MS3, Bedi R4, Dod S5, Konat G6, Chopra HK7, Sharma R8, Jain AC2, Nanda N9.

Author information 1Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA. Electronic address: ravindrabhardwaj2002@yahoo.com.2Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.3Department of Cardiology, Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon, Haryana, India.4Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.5Case Western Reserve School of Medicine Cleveland, OH, USA.6Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.7Moolchand Hospital, New Delhi, India.8Medical Center of South Arkansas, El Dorado, AR, USA.9Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Omega-3 fatty acids, especially alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which are present in nuts may reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, by changing vascular inflammation and improving endothelial dysfunction. The objective of the study was to evaluate the acute effects of two different diets, one containing walnuts and the other almonds on endothelial function. METHODS: Twenty-seven overweight volunteers underwent a randomized 2-period, crossover, controlled intervention study. The subjects were given either walnut or almond diets which varied in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content. The walnut diet provided 23.1% energy from PUFA and the almond diet provided 7.6% energy from PUFA. Endothelial function was assessed physiologically by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and biochemically by sVCAM (soluble vascular cell adhesion molecules). RESULTS: The walnut diet significantly improved FMD (p=0.004) and decreased sVCAM (p=0.009) whereas the almond diet tended to improve FMD (p=0.06) and significantly decreased sVCAM (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Both walnut and almond diets improved FMD and sVCAM and there was no significant difference in physiological and biochemical markers between the two diets. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.