The health effects of consuming different types of nuts have been well documented over time. The NUTS 2022 Conference was organized with the slogan: Where we are and where we are going in nut research. Now, a recent Nutrients journal paper summarized the conference proceedings and aimed to recapitulate and investigate the available information on nuts.
The NUTS 2022 Conference, which occurred between 20 and 21 October 2022, was organized in Reus by the University Rovira i Virgili in collaboration with Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere i Virgili (IISPV) and the Ciber Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) of Instituto de Salud Carlos III of Spain.
Editorial: Where We Are and Where We Are Going in Nut Research. Image Credit: mamita / Shutterstock
Background
Nuts have been consumed by humans for thousands of years. Nowadays, they are consumed in various forms, i.e., raw and processed, as a snack, or as an ingredient in many dishes. Although in the last decade of the 20th century, it was speculated that nuts were not healthy due to their high-fat content, scientific findings proved this concept wrong.
Seminal publications from Loma Linda University, between 1992 and 1993, revealed that walnut consumption considerably decreased serum cholesterol. According to the Adventist Health Study findings, the frequency of nut consumption was found to be inversely associated with coronary heart disease incidence.
Following the above-mentioned report, several epidemiological studies, randomized clinical trials, and in vitro/in vivo mechanistic studies investigated how different types of nut consumption lead to a reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. In addition, these studies provided mechanistic insights into how nuts consumption control glycaemic index, and manage lipid disorders, without adversely affecting the body weight or overall adiposity.
Notably, recent research has highlighted the potential benefits of nuts on cognitive performance, fertility, gastrointestinal system, and different types of cancer. Some important pieces of research related to the effects of nut consumption, such as the Physicians’ Health Study, the Health Professionals' Follow-up Study, the Adventist Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study, and the PREDIMED trial, consistently reported that frequent nut consumption lowered the risk of different cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) upheld the claims related to the health benefits of nuts. It recommended daily consumption of one and one-half oz (42 g) of walnuts and macadamias to prevent heart diseases. However, this observation was not agreed upon by all global regulatory bodies. For example, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) only agreed on the beneficial effects of walnut on endothelial function.
Key Insights
The NUTS 2022 Conference provided the opportunity to bring together experts in the field of nut research from around the world. This conference summarized all the beneficial effects associated with nut consumption. This data could be effectively shared with the food industry to set new primary objectives for the future. Notably, this conference was able to identify new topics and opportunities in nut research. The committee developed scientific proceedings that contained summarized reports of current research and highlighted the new opportunities for research in the nut–health axis. Furthermore, the authors underlined the importance of future nut research conducted by multidisciplinary teams of researchers with varied expertise from the food industry and health agencies. This would enable sharing of new ideas that could be beneficial to humans and the environment at large.
NUTS 2022 Conference Papers
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