Table 6.
Association between nut consumption and cognitive disorders.
| Author, Year, Country [Ref] | Design | Subjects (F:M) Mean Age (Range) |
Length of Intervention | Comparison Group | Intake of Nuts | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sánchez-Villegas et al., 2011, Spain [118] | RCT | 152 (76:76) 68 y |
3 y | Control (low-fat diet *) | MD + 30 g/d nuts (15 g W + 15 g A) | ↓ risk for low plasma BDNF values OR 0.22 (95% CI: 0.05–0.90, p = 0.04) vs. control |
| Martínez-Lapiscina et al., 2013, Spain [121] | RCT, multicenter | 522 (289:233) 67 y |
6.5 y | Control (low-fat diet *) | MD + 30 g/d nuts (15 g W, 7.5 g H, 7.5 g A) | ↑ cognition ↑ MMSE 0.57 (95% CI: 0.11–1.03, p = 0.015) vs. control ↑ CDT 0.33 (95% CI: 0.003–0.67, p = 0.048) vs. control |
| Valls-Pedret et al., 2015, Spain [123] | RCT | 334 (170:164) 67 (55–80) y |
4.1 y | Control (low-fat diet *) | MD + 30 g/d nuts (15 g W, 7.5 g H, 7.5 g A) | ↓ age-related cognitive decline ↑ memory composite 0.09 (95% CI: −0.05 to 0.23, p = 0.04) vs. control ↑ frontal cognition composite 0.03 (95% CI: −0.25 to 0.31, p = 0.03) vs. control |
| Barbour et al., 2017, Australia [124] | RCT, Crossover |
61 (32:29) 65 y |
12 wk | Control (nut free diet) | 56–84 g peanut/d | ↑ cognitive functions (short-term memory, verbal fluency, processing speed) vs. control |
| Nooyens et al., 2011, the Netherlands [119] | Prospective | 2613 (1325:1288) 55 (43–70) y |
Ongoing since 1995 | Tree nuts and peanuts 5 quintiles of nut consumption |
↑ cognitive function at baseline ↓ cognitive decline: memory (highest vs. lowest nut intake, p = 0.03); global cognitive function (highest vs. lowest nut intake, p = 0.02) |
|
| Valls-Pedret et al., 2012, Spain [120] | Cross-sectional | 447 (233:214) 67 (55–80) y |
30 g W/d | ↑ cognitive function (working memory, p = 0.039) | ||
| O’Brien et al., 2014, USA [122] | Prospective | 15,467 women 74 y |
6 y | Tree nuts and peanuts (1) never, <1/mo (2) 1–3/mo (3) 1/wk (4) 2–4/wk (5) 5/wk |
↑ cognitive performance ↑ cognition (4), (5) vs. (1) |
* low-fat diet—all types of fat, from both animal and vegetable sources, reduced, but no fat-free foods. A—almonds; BDNF—brain-derived neurotrophic factor; CDT—Clock Drawing Test; CI—confidence interval; F—women; H—hazelnuts; M—men; MD—Mediterranean diet; MMSE—Mini-Mental State Examination; OR—odds ratio; RCT—randomized controlled trial; W—walnuts.