Acute consumption of pecans decreases angiopoietin-like protein-3 in healthy males: a secondary analysis of randomized controlled trials

Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTL)-3 and -4 regulate lipid metabolism, but the effect of tree nuts of varying fatty acid composition on post-meal responses is unknown. The purpose of the study was to conduct a secondary analysis of two studies on ANGPTL3 and -4 responses to meals containing different tree nuts. We hypothesized that the pecan-containing meal would mitigate postprandial rises in ANGPTL3 compared to the traditional meal without nuts in males, but not females. In addition, we hypothesized that there would be no other differences between any other treatments in ANGPTL3 or -4 responses. The two studies were double-blind, randomized crossover trials. Twenty-two adults (10=male, 12=female) completed study 1, which compared meals containing pecans vs. no nuts (control), and thirty adults (14=male, 16=female) completed study 2, which compared meals containing black walnuts, English walnuts (EW), or no nuts (control). Blood was collected at fasting, 30, 60, 120, and 180min postprandially. In study 1, ANGPTL3 was suppressed more in pecan vs. control in males (iAUC: -579.4±219.4 vs. -128.4±87.1pg/mL/3h, P<.05). In study 2, there was no difference in ANGPTL3 between black walnuts vs. EW, but ANGPTL3 was suppressed more in control vs. black walnuts in females only (iAUC: -196.4±138.4 vs. 102.1±90.1pg/mL/3h, P<.05). There were no differences in ANGPTL4 between treatments. In conclusion, adding pecans to a meal decreased ANGPTL3 in males, but not females. These data highlight the importance of investigating the impact of nutrients and sex on postprandial ANGPTL3 ad -4 responses to better understand their ability to reduce cardiovascular disease risk.     

Saltwater fish but not freshwater fish consumption is positively related to handgrip strength: The TCLSIH Cohort Study

Fish contain many important nutrients and are primarily known for high n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) content. Studies have shown that supplementation of fish oil-derived n-3 PUFA improves muscle mass and strength. Here, we hypothesized that fish consumption might improve muscle strength. To test this hypothesis, we performed this cross-sectional study (n = 29,084) in Tianjin, China. The frequency of fish consumption was assessed using a valid self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Handgrip strength (HGS) was used as the indicator of muscle strength, and was measured using a handheld digital dynamometer. Analysis of covariance was used to examine the relationship between fish consumption and HGS. In men, after adjusted potential confounding factors, the least square means (95% confidence intervals) of HGS across saltwater fish consumption categories were 41.5 (41.1, 43.7) kg for <1 time/week, 44.6 (43.2, 45.8) kg for 1 time/week, and 44.7 (43.3, 46.1) kg for ≥2 to 3 times/week (P for trend <0.001). In men, the least square means (95% confidence intervals) of HGS across the ascending quartiles of dietary n-3 PUFA intake were 43.6 (43.2, 44.4) kg, 43.7 (43.2, 44.6) kg, 44.4 (43.0, 45.8) kg, and 44.6 (43.1, 46.0) kg (P for trend <0.01). The results showed that saltwater fish consumption was positively related to HGS in men, but not in women, suggesting that saltwater fish contain nutrients that may be used to improve HGS.