TABLE 7.
Intake of cashews on cardiovascular and gut health, 2017–2023
| Reference | Study design | Study duration | Subject characteristics | n | Nut type, quantity | Control | Relevant outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular health | |||||||
| Mah 2017 [56] | Randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding trial | 4 wk | Males and females with/at risk for elevated LDL-C (mean age 56 y) | 51 | Cashew, 28–64 g/d (11% of energy) | Isocaloric diet, excluding cashews | ↓ TC1, LDL-C1, non-HDL-C1, TC:HDL1 |
| Baer 2019 [57] | Randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding trial | 4 wk | OW males and females (mean age 57 y) | 42 | Cashew, 42 g/d | Isocaloric diet, excluding cashews | No significant Δ in lipid profile, BP, AIx, endothelin, adhesion molecules, or clotting factors |
| Damavandi 2019 [58] | Randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding trial | 8 wk | Males and females with T2DM (mean age 54 y) | 50 | Cashew, ∼28 g/d (10% of energy)5 | Isocaloric diet, excluding cashews | ↓ LDL:HDL1 |
Includes human clinical trials that focus on only one functional food (ie, a single type of nut or berry) with outcomes of known physiologically relevant measures related to vascular function and gut health over the past 5 y (2017–2023). Excludes interventions using mixtures of different types of nuts or berries, nut- or berry-containing meals, and nut or berry extracts or oils. Also excludes interventions where nut or berry intake was in combination with other potentially confounding factors (ie, diet or lifestyle modifications including physical activity and dietary counseling).
Abbreviations: AIx, augmentation index; BP, blood pressure; CKD, chronic kidney disease; DiaBP, diastolic blood pressure; FMD, flow-mediated dilation; HDL-C, HDL cholesterol; HRV, heart rate variability; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1; IDL-C, IDL cholesterol; LAC, large artery compliance; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL:HDL, LDL cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol ratio; MAP, mean arterial pressure; MetS, metabolic syndrome; OW, overweight; oxLDL, oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; PP HFM, postprandial high fat meal; PSV, brachial artery peak systolic velocity; SAC, small artery compliance; SBA, secondary bile acids; sVCAM-1, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1; SysBP, systolic blood pressure; TC, total cholesterol; TC:HDL, total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol ratio; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; TG, triglycerides; TMAO, trimethylamine N-oxide; UM, urolithin metabotype; VLDL-C, VLDL cholesterol.
denotes statistical significance <0.05.