Health

A 30-year study involving 191 adults, who had an average age of 24 at the beginning of the study, found that those who experienced relatively high blood pressure during young adulthood also experienced significant declines in cognitive function and gait in midlife (approximately 56 years old).

Higher cumulative blood pressure was also associated with slower walking speed, smaller step length and higher gait variability, and lower cognitive performance.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/afot-hiy030420.php

Mahinrad Simin, Kurian Shawn, Garner Chaney R., Sedaghat Sanaz, Nemeth Alexander J., Moscufo Nicola, Higgins James P., Jacobs David R., Hausdorff Jeffrey M., Lloyd-Jones Donald M., & Sorond Farzaneh A. (2020). Cumulative Blood Pressure Exposure During Young Adulthood and Mobility and Cognitive Function in Midlife. Circulation, 141(9), 712–724. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.042502

High blood pressure could significantly raise the risk of developing the second most common form of dementia, according to a new study from The George Institute for Global Health.

Analysis of the medical records of 4.28 million people found that, among those aged 30-50, high blood pressure was associated with a 62% higher risk of vascular dementia. Among those aged 51-70, high blood pressure was associated with a 26% higher risk of vascular dementia.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-05/gifg-hbp051616.php

Emdin Connor A., Rothwell Peter M., Salimi-Khorshidi Gholamreza, Kiran Amit, Conrad Nathalie, Callender Thomas, Mehta Ziyah, Pendlebury Sarah T., Anderson Simon G., Mohseni Hamid, Woodward Mark, & Rahimi Kazem. (2016). Blood Pressure and Risk of Vascular Dementia. Stroke, 47(6), 1429–1435. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.012658

A study involving 449 older adults (50+) found that those with high blood pressure who achieved systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg ("intensive" blood pressure control) had a small but significantly lower amount of white matter lesions on their brain but a slightly greater decrease in brain volume than similar patients who achieved the current standard for healthy blood pressure of 140 mm Hg.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/uota-gbp081319.php

The SPRINT MIND Investigators for the SPRINT Research Group. Association of Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Control With Cerebral White Matter Lesions. JAMA. 2019;322(6):524–534. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.10551

A massive study using data from the long-running Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study found a 5% increase in all cardiovascular events for every 10 microgram-per-cubic-meter increase in concentration of air pollutant particles under 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5).

Factoring in the vast range of concentrations in PM2.5 recorded across the globe, that means 14% of all cardiovascular events documented in the study can be attributed to PM2.5 exposure.

The strongest association between air pollution exposure and health outcomes was for strokes.

The data came from 157,436 adults aged 35-70, in 21 countries, from 2003-2018.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-06/osu-sap062320.php

Hystad, P. et al. (2020). Associations of outdoor fine particulate air pollution and cardiovascular disease in 157 436 individuals from 21 high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries (PURE): A prospective cohort study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 4(6), e235–e245. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30103-0

Data from 998 older women (73-87) participating in the long-running Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging found that those exposed to higher levels of air pollution experienced greater declines in episodic memory and more Alzheimer’s-like brain atrophy than those who breathed cleaner air.

The finding is consistent with previous research indicating that fine particle pollution exposure increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Fine particle pollution is also associated with asthma, cardiovascular disease, lung disease and premature death.

Factors such as differences in income, education, race, geographic region, cigarette smoking, were taken into account in the analysis.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-11/uosc-etp112019.php

Younan D, Petkus AJ, Widaman KF, et al. Particulate matter and episodic memory decline mediated by early neuroanatomic biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease [published correction appears in Brain. 2020 Mar 1;143(3):e24]. Brain. 2020;143(1):289-302. doi:10.1093/brain/awz348

Data from the long-running Hawaii Longitudinal Study of Personality and Health, including new surveys of a diverse group of 749 people with an average age of 60, has found that people who have a sense of purpose in their life tend to make healthier lifestyle choices and report feeling better about their own health status.

These associations held even when controlling for the Big Five personality traits, indicating that the health benefits associated with sense of purpose cannot be fully attributable to broad personality traits. They suggest that having a purpose in life can be viewed as a multifaceted construct that influences both self-regulatory capacity and specific behaviors, such as physical activity, sleep quality, diet, and self-care.

http://www.futurity.org/sense-of-purpose-health-1642882/

A study measuring the levels of the six most common carotenoids in blood from 193 patients with coronary artery disease has found that lutein was the only carotenoid whose level was correlated with the inflammatory marker interleukin-6, IL-6. The higher the level of lutein in the blood, the lower the level of IL-6.

Cells taken from blood from patients with coronary artery disease confirmed that the inflammatory activity of the cells became significantly lower when they were treated with lutein.

Lutein is found in several highly coloured vegetables and fruits, and is particularly rich in vegetables with dark-green leaves, such as spinach.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-07/lu-vca070517.php

Chung, Rosanna W.S., Leanderson, Per, Lundberg, Anna K, Jonasson, Lena. 2017. Lutein exerts anti-inflammatory effects in patients with coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis, 262, 87-93, published online 6 May 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.05.008

Here are some nut studies that link to benefits in connection with diabetes, heart disease, and inflammation. However, it should be noted that they are often very small, and usually funded by nut organizations. I wouldn't put too much weight on such.

Nuts linked to improved type 2 diabetes health

A 3-month study involving 117 older adults (mean age 62) with diabetes found that 75g of nuts (½ a cup) a day, as a replacement for carbohydrate foods, can improve glycemic control and blood lipids in those with type 2 diabetes.

The nuts used were a mixed lot of tree nuts (almonds, Brazils, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, macadamias and walnuts) and peanuts. improved blood lipid levels and blood sugar levels in individuals with non-insulin dependent diabetes.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/mp-itn052218.php

Jenkins, D.J.A., C.W.C. Kendall, B. Lamarche, M.S. Banach, K. Srichaikul, E. Vidgen, S. Mitchell, T. Parker, S. Nishi, B. Bashyam, R. de Souza, C. Ireland, S.C. Pichika, J. Beyene, J.L. Sievenpiper, R.G. Josse, 2018. Nuts as a replacement for carbohydrates in the diabetic diet: a reanalysis of a randomised controlled trial. Diabetologia https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-018-4628-9

Eating pecans had significant effect on biomarkers of heart disease and type 2 diabetes

A very small 4-week study involving 26 overweight and obese adults (average age 59) found that those given a diet with pecans substituted for 15% of the total calories significantly improved insulin sensitivity and had a significant effect on markers of cardiometabolic disease.

Both the control diet and the pecan-rich diet were low in fruits, vegetables and fiber.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-03/kc-n-eph032218.php

The study entitled "A Pecan-Rich Diet Improves Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial" is available online and was presented at the American Society for Nutrition Annual Conference, Nutrition 2018 held in Boston in June.

A handful of nuts a day cuts the risk of a wide range of diseases

A review of 29 studies involving some 819,000 participants has concluded that people who eat at least 20g of nuts (a handful) a day have a 30% lower risk of heart disease, as well as lower risks of cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes.

The study included all kinds of tree nuts, and also peanuts. The results were in general similar. There was little evidence of further improvement in health outcomes as a result of eating more than 20g of nuts.

Nuts and peanuts are high in fibre, magnesium, and polyunsaturated fats. Some nuts, particularly walnuts and pecan nuts are also high in antioxidants.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-12/icl-aho120216.php

Link between nut intake and inflammatory biomarkers

Data from 5,013 men and women participating in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study has revealed that higher nut intake (5 or more times per week) was associated with lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and Interleukin 6 (IL6)).

Research has also shown that nut consumption may be inversely related to body mass index (BMI), which is a strong determinant of inflammatory biomarkers, so it may be that the associations between nut intake and inflammatory markers are mediated in part through BMI.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-07/mp-itn072716.php

An animal study comparing five diets shows that one diet really doesn't fit everyone, and what works for some may not be best for others.

There were four groups of genetically (almost-)identical animals, with genetic differences between any two of the groups translating to roughly the same as those of two unrelated people. The test diets included: an American-style diet (higher in fat and refined carbs, especially corn); Mediterranean (with wheat and red wine extract); Japanese (with rice and green tea extract); and ketogenic, or Atkins-like (high in fat and protein with very few carbs). The fifth diet was the control group.

One of the four genetic types did very poorly when eating the Japanese-like diet, developing signs of liver damage. Two types did well on the Atkins-like diet, but two did very badly (one became very obese, while the other became 'skinny-fat' — apparently a healthy weight but with a high percentage of body fat.

Two types became very obese, with signs of metabolic syndrome, on the American-style diet, while the other two were less negatively affected. With the Mediterranean diet, some groups were healthy, while others experienced some weight gain.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-11/tau-dsm113017.php

Data from more than 25,000 female health professionals who participated in the Women's Health Study has revealed a 25% reduction in cardiovascular risk among those who consumed a diet rich in plants and olive oil and low in meats and sweets.

Changes in signals of inflammation accounted for 29% of the cardiovascular risk reduction), glucose metabolism and insulin resistance 27.9%, and body max index 27.3%. There were also connections to blood pressure, various forms of cholesterol, and other biomarkers, but these were less important.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/bawh-rew120718.php