Nuts and Older Adults’ Health: A Narrative Review
Open Access
- 14 February 2021
- journal article
- review article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 18 (4), 1848
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041848
Abstract
Although the beneficial effects of nuts on cardiometabolic diseases have been well established, little is known about the effects of nuts on age-related diseases. Given that age-related diseases share many biological pathways with cardiometabolic diseases, it is plausible that diets rich in nuts might be beneficial in ameliorating age-related conditions. The objective of this review was to summarise the findings from studies that have examined the associations or effects of nut consumption, either alone or as part of the dietary pattern, on three major age-related factors—telomere length, sarcopenia, and cognitive function—in older adults. Overall, the currently available evidence suggests that nut consumption, particularly when consumed as part of a healthy diet or over a prolonged period, is associated with positive outcomes such as longer telomere length, reduced risk of sarcopenia, and better cognition in older adults. Future studies that are interventional, long-term, and adequately powered are required to draw definitive conclusions on the effects of nut consumption on age-related diseases, in order to inform dietary recommendations to incorporate nuts into the habitual diet of older adults.This publication has 86 references indexed in Scilit:
- Mediterranean Diet, Telomere Maintenance and Health Status among ElderlyPLOS ONE, 2013
- Virgin olive oil supplementation and long-term cognition: the Predimed-Navarra randomized, trialThe journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2013
- Telomere Length in Epidemiology: A Biomarker of Aging, Age-Related Disease, Both, or Neither?Epidemiologic Reviews, 2013
- Effects of walnut consumption on cognitive performance in young adultsBritish Journal of Nutrition, 2011
- The Association of Telomere Length and Cancer: a Meta-analysisCancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 2011
- Telomeres and telomerase in normal and cancer stem cellsFEBS Letters, 2010
- Nut Consumption and Blood Lipid LevelsArchives of Internal Medicine, 2010
- Nuts and oxidation: a systematic reviewNutrition Reviews, 2009
- Chinese tea consumption is associated with longer telomere length in elderly Chinese menBritish Journal of Nutrition, 2009
- Anatomy of health effects of Mediterranean diet: Greek EPIC prospective cohort studyBMJ, 2009