Nutr Res Pract.  2019 Apr;13(2):105-114. 10.4162/nrp.2019.13.2.105.

Daily walnut intake improves metabolic syndrome status and increases circulating adiponectin levels: randomized controlled crossover trial

• Hwang HJ
• Liu Y
• Kim HS
• Lee H
• Lim Y
• Park H

• KMID: 2442367
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2019.13.2.105

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES
Several previous studies have investigated whether regular walnut consumption positively changes heart-health-related parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of daily walnut intake on metabolic syndrome (MetS) status and other metabolic parameters among subjects with MetS.
SUBJECTS/METHODS
This study was a two-arm, randomized, controlled crossover study with 16 weeks of each intervention (45 g of walnuts or iso-caloric white bread) with a 6 week washout period between interventions. Korean adults with MetS (n = 119) were randomly assigned to one of two sequences; 84 subjects completed the trial. At each clinic visit (at 0, 16, 22, and 38 weeks), MetS components, metabolic parameters including lipid profile, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), adiponectin, leptin, and apolipoprotein B, as well as anthropometric and bioimpedance data were obtained.
RESULTS
Daily walnut consumption for 16 weeks improved MetS status, resulting in 28.6%-52.8% reversion rates for individual MetS components and 51.2% of participants with MetS at baseline reverted to a normal status after the walnut intervention. Significant improvements after walnut intake, compared to control intervention, in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P = 0.028), fasting glucose (P = 0.013), HbA1c (P = 0.021), and adiponectin (P = 0.019) were observed after adjustment for gender, age, body mass index, and sequence using a linear mixed model.
CONCLUSION
A dietary supplement of 45 g of walnuts for 16 weeks favorably changed MetS status by increasing the concentration of HDL-C and decreasing fasting glucose level. Furthermore, consuming walnuts on a daily basis changed HbA1c and circulating adiponectin levels among the subjects with MetS. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03267901.

Keyword

Metabolic syndrome; juglans; adiponectin; cross-over studies

MeSH Terms

Adiponectin*
Adult
Ambulatory Care
Apolipoproteins
Body Mass Index
Cholesterol
Cross-Over Studies
Dietary Supplements
Fasting
Glucose
Humans
Juglans*
Leptin
Lipoproteins
Adiponectin
Apolipoproteins
Cholesterol
Glucose
Leptin
Lipoproteins

Figure

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  Fig. 1 CONSORT flow chart diagram of the crossover trial

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