The Effects of Cashew Consumption on Serum Glucose, Insulin and Lipoprotein in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Diabetic dyslipidemia is a complication of diabetes and several studies have demonstrated that nut consumption exerts beneficial effects on serum lipid profile. We designed an intervention study to evaluate the effects of cashew on fasting serum glucose, insulin and lipoprotein in type 2 diabetic patients.

In an 8 week randomized parallel clinical trial, 50 diabetic patients (34 women and 16 men) were randomly assigned to two groups) the intervention (cashew) and the control (regular diet) groups. Cashews replaced 10% of total daily calorie intake in the intervention group. Blood samples were collected from fasting subjects at entry to the study and at the end of the study. All dietary data were obtained using 24-hours recalls at baseline, in the middle and at the end of the study.

Mean HDL-C and insulin concentrations were statistically different between the intervention and control groups (P=0.01, P=0.023, P=0.043 and P=0.023 respectively), while other biochemical indices such as serum glucose and other lipoproteins, were not.

The results indicated that replacing 10% of daily calorie intake with cashew in patients with type 2 diabetes may prevent HDL-C reduction and also decrease serum insulin, and hence possibly play an important role in decreasing cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic patients.