Eating almonds regularly could improve health in type 2 diabetes patients, studies find
Adding almonds to the diet could help reduce inflammation
Three new studies suggest that regular consumption of almonds can improve health in adults with type 2 diabetes.
A randomised controlled clinical study published in the Journal of Functional Foods 1 investigated the effects of adding 1.5oz of almonds to the diet for 12 weeks on diabetes and heart disease risk factors in 21 adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.
Participants experienced almost a 30% reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a marker of inflammation associated with increased heart disease risk, compared with those who did not consume almonds, the study found. Participants also experienced no change in body mass after 12 weeks of almond consumption.
'These findings suggest that adding almonds to the diet can be an effective, simple strategy to help reduce inflammation in people with poorly controlled diabetes,' said Karen Sweazea, Assistant Professor at Arizona State University and lead researcher of the study.
Inflammation is thought to play a role in heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, and elevated CRP is linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes. 2
Almonds to the diet can be an effective, simple strategy to help reduce inflammation in people with poorly controlled diabetes
There were no differences observed after 12 weeks between groups in blood pressure, lipids, fasting body glucose or other measures of glycemic control, or in biomarkers of oxidative stress or other markers of inflammation.
This follows two related studies from the University of Toronto, Canada, which demonstrated that eating tree nuts such as almonds was associated with positive effects on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, a collection of risk factors associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk.
One study, the first systematic review of the effects of tree nuts on metabolic syndrome criteria to be conducted, included 47 randomised controlled trials with more than 2,200 participants and found that eating about 2oz (50g) of tree nuts every day for an average of eight weeks was associated with significant reductions in triglycerides and fasting blood glucose. No adverse effects were seen on waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol, or blood pressure. 3
A second study examined the effect of tree nut consumption on glycemic control in those with diabetes. The analysis included 12 randomised clinical trials with 450 adult participants and found that diets containing tree nuts at an average dose of about 2oz each day for an average of eight weeks significantly lowered fasting blood glucose and HbA1c compared with diets without tree nuts. No significant effects were observed for fasting insulin or insulin resistance; however, the direction of effect favoured tree nuts. 4
Researchers suggest that the unique nutrient profile of nuts may be a contributing factor in driving improved glycemic control in these studies, in particular their magnesium and monounsaturated fat (MUFA) content.
References
1. Sweazea KL, Johnston CS, Ricklefs KD, Petersen CN. Almond supplementation in the absence of dietary advice significantly reduces C-reactive protein in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Functional Foods 2014: 252-259.
2. Asegaonkar S. B., Marathe A., Tekade, M. L., Cherekar, L., Bavikar, J., Bardapurkar, J., and Ajay, R. (2011). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein: A novel cardiovascular risk predictor in type 2 diabetics with normal lipid profile. Journal of Diabetes Complications, 25(6), 368–370.
3. Blanco-Mejia S et al. Effect of tree nuts on metabolic syndrome criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMJ Open 2014; 4: e004660.
4. Virguiliouk E et al. Effect of tree nuts on glycemic control in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled dietary trials. PLoS ONE 9(7): e103376.