Post symposium - International Nut and Dried Fruit Council

PRESS RELEASENovember 7 th , 2011“Nut Consumption, Cardiovascular Risk and Body Weight” Symposium at the11 th Congress of European Nutritionist SocietiesHealth Experts Encourage Consumption of Nuts toFace Obesity, Cardiovascular Diseases, Type 2Diabetes and Weight Gain. Data do not provide evidence for an association between nut consumption and therisk of incident heart failure among US male physicians, said Harvard’s MedicalSchool researcher. Nut consumption improves blood lipid levels in a dose-related manner, particularlyamong subjects with higher LDL-C or with lower BMI, according to research fromLoma Linda University. Researchers from Perdue University emphasized that nuts may be included in thediet, in moderation, to enhance palatability, nutrient quality, and chronic disease riskreduction without compromising weight loss or maintenance. Eating nuts every day could help control Type 2 diabetes and prevent itscomplications, according to research from St. Michael's Hospital and the Universityof Toronto.The International Nut and Dried Fruit Council funded symposium “Nut Consumption,Cardiovascular Risk and Body Weight” was held on Friday, 28 October 2011, within theframe of the 11th European Congress of Nutrition of the Federation of European NutritionSocieties, Madrid, Spain, from 26 th to 29th October.Leading researchers in the field of nutrition addressed key questions related to nuts and healthin front of over 100 health professionals: nut consumption and cardiovascular health; benefits intype 2 diabetes, and effects on appetite and body weight. Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Chair ofNutrition and Bromatology at the University Rovira i Virgili, Spain, and member of the INCScientific Committee, co-moderated the session along with Dr. Emilio Ros, Head of the LipidClinic at Barcelona’s Clinic Hospital, Spain.Dr. Luc Djoussé, a cardiovascular epidemiologist in Harvard’s Medical School, with majorfocus on the role of nutrition on the risk of cardiovascular diseases, reviewed the currentepidemiologic data on the role of nut consumption on the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke,and heart failure. In addition, his presentation reflected on gaps in the field and future directions.Dr. Joan Sabaté, Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition at Loma Linda University,talked about the effect of nut consumption on cardiovascular risk including serum lipids andlipoproteins. He summarized the results from LLU pooled analysis of 25 clinical trials and

outlined the evidence from outstanding epidemiological studies, including the EuropeanProspective Investigation on Cancer and Nutrition.Nuts are energy dense, but epidemiological studies and clinical trials indicate that their inclusionin the diet does not promote weight gain. Evidence indicates this is attributable to their highsatiety value and poor bioaccessibility of the energy they contain, among other factors. Prof.Richard Mattes, Professor of Nutrition Science at Purdue University, reviewed the most recentwork on the effects of nuts on appetite and body weight.To conclude the symposium, Dr. David Jenkins, Director of the Clinical Nutrition Risk Factorand Modification Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, presented the large,longer-term study of mixed nut intake in type 2 diabetic subjects, according to which nutsappear to help control type 2 diabetes and prevent its complications.Building on the strength of the Symposium as a forum for open discussion, delegates wereprovided with solutions and data to some of the key subjects explored.The International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC) represents and endorses activities thatprovide its membership with new opportunities for increasing global consumption of almonds,Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts,peanuts, dates, dried apricots, dried figs, prunes and raisins.Our purpose is to assist health professionals and researchers in getting access to informationabout the latest findings regarding nuts and dried fruit and health.For further information:INC - International Nut and Dried Fruit CouncilCalle Boule, 2, Planta 4, 43201 Reus, SPAINT +34 977 33 14 16F +34 977 31 50 28marketing@nutfruit.orgwww.nutfruit.org