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Obesity (Poster Session)

(P15-048-24) Effects of Consuming Nuts With Different Fatty Acid Composition on Body Composition: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Sunday, June 30, 2024
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
Location: Poster Board 47
Disclosure(s):
Sunhye Shin, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Weili Hu, BS, RD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Jung Eun Kim, Dr: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Although nut consumption is suggested to be protective against weight gain despite their higher dietary fat content, it still remains unclear whether nuts with different fatty acid composition exert distinct effects on body composition. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine effects of high-monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or low-MUFA nut consumption on body composition since nuts are good source of MUFA.

Methods: High-MUFA nuts (MUFA content ≥ 50% of fat) included almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, and pistachios; and low-MUFA nuts (MUFA content < 50% of fat) included Brazil nuts, pine nuts, and walnuts. From PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane, 3,065 articles were identified, and data from 146 articles were analyzed. Due to the diversities in comparators of the selected articles, subgroup analyses based on types of control groups were also conducted.

Results: Consumption of nuts, regardless of MUFA content, was shown to decrease body fat percentage (%BF) (weighted mean difference [WMD] -0.27%; 95% confidence intervals [CI] -0.49, -0.06). Although statistically not significant, this effect was greater with low-MUFA nuts (WMD -0.92%; 95% CI -1.61, -0.23) than those of high-MUFA nuts (WMD -0.26%; 95% CI -0.49, -0.03). Nut consumption did not have a significant effect on body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in the overall group analysis; however, when compared to the nut-free diet only, it was observed to reduce BMI (WMD -0.06 kg/m2; 95% CI -0.11, -0.00) and WC (WMD -0.51 cm; 95% CI -0.72, -0.30).

Conclusions: These findings confirm that nut consumption can improve body composition particularly by reducing %BF despite the higher fat content; however, fatty acid composition of nuts does not influence on body composition. Moreover, especially adding nuts into nut-free diets can be a beneficial dietary strategy for weight and body composition management.

Funding Sources: This work was supported by a travel grant from Seoul Women’s University.