Nuts and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Current Atherosclerosis Reports October 2018, 20:48 | Cite as Authors Authors and affiliations AM CoatesEmail authorAM HillSY Tan AM Coates 1Email author AM Hill 1 SY Tan 2 1.Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA)University of South AustraliaAdelaideAustralia 2.School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN)Deakin UniversityBurwoodAustralia Nutrition (P. Kris-Etherton, Section Editor) First Online: 09 August 2018 62 Shares 16 Downloads Part of the following topical collections: Topical Collection on Nutrition Abstract Purpose of Review We review recent epidemiological and clinical studies investigating the consumption of tree nuts and peanuts and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality as well as CVD risk factors. Recent Findings A greater consumption of tree nuts and peanuts is associated with a reduced risk of CVD mortality, as well as lower CVD events. Furthermore, risk factors associated with the development of CVD such as dyslipidemia, impaired vascular function, and hypertension are improved with regular tree nut and peanut consumption through a range of mechanism associated with their nutrient-rich profiles. There is weak inconsistent evidence for an effect of nut consumption on inflammation. There is emerging evidence that consuming tree nuts reduces the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and promotes diversity of gut microbiota, which in turn may improve CVD outcomes. Summary Evidence for CVD prevention is strong for some varieties of tree nuts, particularly walnuts, and length of supplementation and dose are important factors for consideration with recommendations. Keywords Nuts; cardiovascular diseases Cholesterol Inflammation Vascular stiffness Microbiota This article is part of the Topical Collection on Nutrition This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access. Notes Compliance with Ethical Standards Conflict of Interest Dr. Coates reports grants from the Peanut Company of Australia, the Almond Board of California, the Almond Board of Australia, and the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council, outside the submitted work. Dr. Tan reports grants from Almond Board of California, outside the submitted work. Dr. Hill reports grants from Almond Board of California, the Almond Board of Australia, and the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council, outside the submitted work. Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors. References Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance 1. O’Neil CE, Fulgoni VL, 3rd, Nicklas TA: Tree nut consumption is associated with better adiposity measures and cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome health risk factors in U.S. adults: NHANES 2005–2010. 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