Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Effects of Long-Term Walnut Supplementation on Body Weight in Free-living Elderly: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Edward Bitok
* ORCID logo ,
Sujatha Rajaram
,
Karen Jaceldo-Siegl
ORCID logo ,
Keiji Oda
ORCID logo ,
Aleix Sala-Vila
,
Mercè Serra-Mir
,
Emilio Ros
,
Joan Sabaté
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 14 September 2018 / Approved: 14 September 2018 / Online: 14 September 2018 (08:05:18 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Bitok, E.; Rajaram, S.; Jaceldo-Siegl, K.; Oda, K.; Sala-Vila, A.; Serra-Mir, M.; Ros, E.; Sabaté, J. Effects of Long-Term Walnut Supplementation on Body Weight in Free-Living Elderly: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1317. Bitok, E.; Rajaram, S.; Jaceldo-Siegl, K.; Oda, K.; Sala-Vila, A.; Serra-Mir, M.; Ros, E.; Sabaté, J. Effects of Long-Term Walnut Supplementation on Body Weight in Free-Living Elderly: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1317.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of chronic walnut consumption on body weight and adiposity in elderly individuals. Methods: The Walnuts And Healthy Aging study is a dual-center (Barcelona, Spain and Loma Linda University [LLU]), 2-year randomized parallel trial. This report concerns only the LLU cohort. Healthy elders (mean age 69 y, 67% women) were randomly assigned to walnut (n = 183) or control diets (n = 173). Subjects in the walnut group received packaged walnuts (28–56 g/d), equivalent to ≈15% of daily energy requirements, to incorporate into their habitual diet, while those in the control group abstained from walnuts. Adiposity was measured periodically, and data were adjusted for in-trial changes in self-reported physical activity. Results: After 2 years, body weight significantly decreased (P = 0.031), while body fat significantly increased (P = 0.0001). However, no significant differences were observed between the control and walnut groups regarding body weight (−0.6 kg and −0.4 kg, respectively, P = 0.67) or body fat (+0.9% and +1.3%, respectively, P = 0.53). Lean body mass, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio remained essentially unchanged. Sensitivity analyses were consistent with the findings of primary analysis. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that walnuts can be incorporated into the daily diet of healthy elders without concern for adverse effects on body weight or body composition.

Keywords

nuts; walnuts; body weight; adiposity; obesity; elderly; energy

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Dietetics and Nutrition

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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