Consuming More Nuts Key to Heart Health in Women

23 May 2016 --- Increased consumption of nuts was associated with reduced risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, analysis of the Women’s Health Study yielded no relationship between nut consumption and CVD mortality in women.

Previous epidemiological studies have suggested that high nut consumption could protect against CHD due to positive effects on serum lipids, according to the study background.

“The study suggests that nut consumption is not associated with [CV] mortality in apparently healthy women,” Tasnim Imran, MD, from the division of aging, department of medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues wrote in an abstract. “However, our secondary analysis is consistent with a lower risk for CHD with nut consumption in women.”

Imran and colleagues analyzed 39,167 participants from the Women’s Health Study (mean age, 55 years) with no CVD at baseline to determine the relationships between nut consumption and CVD mortality and CHD.

Participants reported nut consumption in a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline. CVD deaths and CHD incidence were attained through a follow-up questionnaire and medical records. Mean follow-up was 18.9 years. The results were presented at the National Lipid Association Scientific Sessions.

During the study period, 959 CVD deaths and 1,774 CHD events occurred.

When the researchers adjusted for age, alcohol use, smoking, physical activity, family history of premature MI (myocardial infarction, defined as occurring at or younger than age 55 years in men or 65 in women) in a parent and postmenopausal status, there was no significant relationship between nut consumption at CVD death (HR for nut consumption one to three times per month = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.81-1.13; HR for nut consumption once per week = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.78-1.2; HR for nut consumption at least twice per week = 0.9; 95% CI, 0.74-1.1) compared with women who did not consume nuts (P for linear trend = 0.25).

A secondary analysis showed that nut consumption was inversely associated with occurrence of CHD events. Compared with women who did not consume nuts, women consuming nuts one to three times per month (HR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.85-1.09), women consuming nuts once per week (HR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.81-1.06) and women consuming nuts at least twice per week (HR = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.74-0.99) had reduced risk for CHD, although it was only significant for the highest-consumption group (P for trend = 0.037).

Adjustment for dietary variables did not change the results.

This abstract was presented at the National Lipid Association Scientific Sessions May 19-22, 2016 in New Orleans, and won the second-place Young Investigator Award at the NLA Scientific Sessions.