Nuts as a Part of Dietary Strategy to Improve Metabolic Biomarkers: A Narrative Review

Leila Khalili; Thoraya Mohamed Elhassan A-Elgadir; Ayaz Khurram Mallick; Hesham Ali El Enshasy; R Z Sayyed

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.881843

Nuts as a Part of Dietary Strategy to Improve Metabolic Biomarkers: A Narrative Review

Front Nutr. 2022 Mar 29:9:881843. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.881843. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Leila Khalili¹, Thoraya Mohamed Elhassan A-Elgadir², Ayaz Khurram Mallick², Hesham Ali El Enshasy^{3

4

5}, R Z Sayyed⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
² Department of Clinical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
³ Insitute of Bioproduct Development (IBD), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, Malaysia.
⁴ School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, Malaysia.
⁵ City of Scientific Research and Technology Applications (SRTA), Alexandria, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Microbiology, PSGVP Mandal's Arts, Science, and Commerce College, Shahada, India.

Abstract

Background: Nuts are in the spotlight because of their association with improved health outcomes. We aimed to summarize the findings of previous studies to evaluate the impact of nuts consumption on glycaemic and lipid profile, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Methods: Electronic searches for observational and intervention studies were undertaken in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Science Direct until 2022 for searching the studies aiming the application of different types of nuts and the beneficial effects of nuts in improving glycemia, dyslipidemia, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Results: Results from 56 interventional, 9 narrative and 3 systematic reviews, and 12 meta-analysis studies, aiming at the evaluating beneficial effects of different types of nuts on metabolic markers, showed that nut consumption could improve metabolic markers, including glycaemic factors, lipid profile, and inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters in both healthy and individuals with metabolic disorders in a type-, dose- and duration-dependent manner. According to their unique nutrient components, nuts can be known as a part of a healthy diet, resulting in improved metabolic biomarkers.

Conclusion: Considering the efficacy of nuts in improving metabolic markers, incorporation of, incorporating nuts the effectiveness of nuts in improving metabolic markers, incorporating nuts in the diet may prevent the incidence or aggravation of chronic metabolic diseases. Considering the health benefits of the nuts' components, including essential micronutrients, if consumed in the appropriate dose and duration to provide the necessary amount of effective micronutrients to improve health, we will see an improvement in metabolic factors. At the same time, more research is required to determine the optimal type, dose, and duration of nut intervention with regards to metabolic control and reducing the risk of developing metabolic disorders.

Keywords: glycemic control (A1C); inflammation; lipid profile; metabolic biomarkers; oxidative stress.

Publication types

Review