Insights & Discussion
Almond consumption can significantly reduce the serum concentration of the inflammatory mediator, Interleukin-6, in adults but no significant effect is found on C-reactive protein.
The methodology of this study involved running an electronic search for English-language studies across several databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, SCOPUS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane library without any time restrictions. The effect sizes on serum concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) were calculated based on the mean changes of both intervention and control groups. Assessment of the overall effects and their heterogeneity was done using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model. To examine the statistical heterogeneity, Cochran's Q test and I-squared statistic were utilized.
With respect to the results, among the eleven studies involved, it was observed that almond consumption did not significantly affect serum CRP level. However, a significant decrease in serum IL-6 level was reported with almond consumption. Thus, reflecting the beneficial effects of almonds with regard to reducing the serum concentration of IL-6. The results derived for serum CRP were not substantial enough to be considered significant.
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Almond-based diets may be effective in promoting short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria and lowering glycated haemoglobin and body mass index in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with control.
2021 Nutrients The Effects of Almonds on Gut Microbiota, Glycometabolism, and Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials Ojo O, Wang XH, Ojo OO, Adegboye ARA
Systematic Review Almond Gut Microbiota HbA1C
The research was a systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted using the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis methodology. Diverse databases, including the Health Sciences Research Databases via EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and other article's reference lists, were thoroughly searched following the population, intervention, control, outcome, and study framework. The searches encompassed all relevant studies available from the inception of these databases until August 1, 2021.
Nine randomised studies were analysed, eight of which were used for the meta-analysis. Results revealed that diets rich in almonds foster the growth of gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids. Additionally, the analysis demonstrated that such diets effectively reduce both glycated haemoglobin levels and body mass index in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the effects of almonds were not significant concerning fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postprandial blood glucose, various inflammatory markers, and certain other indicators of diabetes. The biological mechanisms attributed to reductions in glycated haemoglobin and body mass index are thought to be related to the nutritional composition of almonds, namely their high fibre content and low glycaemic index.
Walnut consumption coupled with concurrent training improves lipid profile, steroid hormone levels, and systematic inflammation in elderly men.
2021 Biology of Sport Moderate walnut consumption improved lipid profile, steroid hormones and inflammation in trained elderly men: a pilot study with a randomized controlled trial Kamoun A, Hammouda O, Turki M, Maaloul R, Chtourou M, Bouaziz M, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Cholesterol Cortisol CRP
The study created two matched groups of fit elderly men and placed one on a diet inclusive of walnuts (15g/day for six weeks) alongside their concurrent (resistance and endurance) training. The other group did the concurrent training without the walnut-supplemented diet. The study then took fasting blood samples from the participants 48 hours before and after the intervention for biochemical assessments.
The group consuming walnuts saw a significant improvement in their lipid profiles with increased high-density lipoprotein levels and decreased total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels. The walnut-eating participants also saw an increase in testosterone levels after the training, which was significantly higher than the group not consuming walnuts. Additionally, the walnut-consuming group experienced lowered cortisol levels and decreased C-reactive protein compared to the group not consuming walnuts. It is plausible the results could be attributed to the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids in walnuts.
The study reveals that pomegranate juice does not significantly affect vascular adhesion factors, but can effectively reduce the inflammatory marker, interleukin-6.
2021 Phytomedicine Effect of pomegranate juice on vascular adhesion factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis Asgary S, Karimi R, Joshi T, Kilpatrick KL, Moradi S, Samimi Z, et al.
Meta-Analysis IL-6 Pomegranate
In order to evaluate the role of pomegranate in endothelial dysfunction, databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were utilized up until July 2020. Relevant studies were chosen that examined pomegranate's impacts on vascular adhesion factors, namely intercellular adhesion molecule 1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, E-selectin, and interleukin-6. Computational tools were used to analyse this large data set.
The results demonstrated that human studies showed no significant effects of pomegranate juice on intercellular adhesion molecule 1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, and E-selectin compared to the control group. However, results revealed that pomegranate juice could significantly lower interleukin-6. Despite the absence of significant impacts on vascular adhesion factors, the notable reduction of interleukin-6 suggests the potential of pomegranate juice in treating endothelial dysfunction-related conditions such as cardiovascular diseases.
Almond intake significantly decreased diastolic blood pressure, and inconsistently, almonds decreased systolic blood pressure.
2020 Complementary Therapies in Medicine The effect of almond intake on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Eslampour E, Asbaghi O, Hadi A, Abedi S, Ghaedi E, Lazaridi AV, et al.
Systematic Review Almond Diastolic Blood Pressure High Blood Pressure
The evidence from this meta-analysis suggest that almonds may have beneficial effects on the BP. Based on the current scientific knowledge, it could be encouraged to include them, as part of a healthy diet in order to reduce the risk of hypertension.66 It should be noted that results cannot be generalized to those with other health problems, such as liver disease and cancer that were not included in this analysis.
We found that almonds might have a considerable favorite effect in BP and especially in DBP, and it could be encouraged as part of a healthy diet; however due to the high calorie content, the intake should be part of healthy diet.
Coffee intake may have a variable effect on inflammation markers, with different responses noted between men and women and across various geographical regions.
2020 Nutrients Coffee Consumption and C-Reactive Protein Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Moua ED, Hu C, Day N, Hord NG, Takata Y
Systematic Review CRP
The researchers carried out a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis on the relationship between coffee intake and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, an inflammation biomarker. They studied eleven previous studies involving a total of 61,047 participants from three different continents. These studies were chosen using the PubMed database. The selected studies had different findings: some showed a negative relationship between coffee and CRP levels, others showed a positive relationship while some showed no significant associations. The researchers analyzed the data from these studies using mixed-effects meta-regression models, with the volume of coffee consumed as the metric.
Regarding the discussion of results, there revealed to be considerable variation between the individual studies included in the meta-analysis. In three of the largest studies, it was found that the relationship between coffee consumption and CRP levels appeared to be different depending on the gender of the participant and their location. Women from Europe and the United States, as well as Japanese men, showed a decrease in CRP levels with increased coffee consumption. However, European men showed an increased inflammation marker. When all studies were considered together, no significant relationship between coffee consumption and CRP levels was found among all participants or when the data was stratified by gender or geographical location, showing the contradictory nature of the results noted in individual studies.
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