Effects of tree nut and groundnut consumption compared with those of l-arginine supplementation on fasting and postprandial flow-mediated vasodilation: Meta-analysis of human randomized controlled trials.

What this study found

Longer-term tree nut and groundnut intake and L-arginine supplementation both improved fasting flow-mediated dilation, and the nut effect could not be fully explained by L-arginine content. Tree nut/groundnut consumption increased fasting FMD by 1.09 PP (95% CI 0.49, 1.69; P < 0.001), while L-arginine increased fasting FMD by 0.53 PP (95% CI 0.12, 0.93; P = 0.012); the difference between fasting effects was not significant (P = 0.31). For postprandial FMD, tree nuts and groundnuts were not significant at 1.25 PP (95% CI -0.31, 2.81; P = 0.12), whereas L-arginine improved FMD by 2.02 PP (95%…

Study & population

Systematic review and meta-analysis of human randomized controlled trials assessing brachial artery flow-mediated dilation after tree nut/groundnut consumption or L-arginine supplementation.

Intervention

Tree nuts and groundnuts were consumed as dietary interventions, usually 15 to 128 g/day for 4 weeks to 6 months, often as part of an energy- and/or fat-matched substitution diet; postprandial studies used fixed nut-containing meals.

Key limitation

Substantial heterogeneity was present across pooled analyses, and the included trials varied widely in population, dose, duration, and comparator diets.

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