Walnuts Shown to Improve Endothelial Function in Diabetics

The daily consumption of walnuts has the potential to improve endothelium function and plasma lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the American College of Preventive Medicine. With a high polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat content, many types of nuts have gained favor as a healthy addition to any diet, and walnuts, in particular, have a high level of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, theorized that the addition of walnuts could provide cardiovascular benefits to diabetics. "We know nuts are rich in fiber, and have a variety of micronutrients, minerals, B vitamins, magnesium, and a number of properties that make them a likely candidate for benefits in people with cardiovascular risk," David L. Katz, MD, a coauthor on the study. "We asked if this could prove a vascular benefit in an at-risk population — adults with type 2 diabetes," Dr. Katz explained.

There was a significant improvement in flow-mediated dilatation FMD among the participants consuming the walnut-enriched diet, compared with those not consuming diets with walnuts. "What it tells us is how the blood vessels are feeling in light of everything that is flowing by. You can measure everything you can think of that is flowing by, such as LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, or stress hormones, or you can simply ask the blood vessels, in essence: 'Given everything that is floating by, how are you feeling today?' " "And the blood vessels in this study said, 'we feel better after we've been fed walnuts daily.'"

The results showed no significant weight gain among subjects receiving walnut supplementation. "A combination of different nuts is always healthy and should be recommended as part of a healthy lifestyle, since each nut has certain unique components," he said. "That being said, walnuts and almonds do stand out with significant benefits because of the type of fats they contain." Almonds, too, appear to have their own unique benefits for diabetes, researchers added.