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Effects of Regular Brazil Nut ( Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K.) Consumption on Health: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials. Foods 2022; 11:foods11182925. [PMID: 36141050 PMCID: PMC9498495 DOI: 10.3390/foods11182925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Brazil nut (BN) is a promising food due to its numerous health benefits, but it is still necessary to systematically review the scientific evidence on these benefits. Thus, we examined the effects of regular BN consumption on health markers in humans according to the health state (with specific diseases or not) of the subjects. PubMed, Embase®, and Scielo databases were used to search for clinical trials. The PRISMA guideline was used to report the review, and the risk of bias for all studies was assessed. Twenty-four studies were included in the present review, of which fifteen were non-randomized. BNs were consumed in the context of a habitual free-living diet in all studies. Improvement in antioxidant status through increased levels of selenium and/or glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma, serum, whole blood, and/or erythrocytes was observed in all studies that evaluated antioxidant status, regardless of the health state of the sample. In addition, healthy subjects improved lipid markers and fasting glucose. Subjects with obesity had improvement in markers of lipid metabolism. Subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus or dyslipidemia improved oxidative stress or DNA damage. Subjects undergoing hemodialysis benefited greatly from BN consumption, as they improved lipid profile markers, oxidative stress, inflammation, and thyroid function. Older adults with mild cognitive impairment improved verbal fluency and constructional praxis, and controversial results regarding the change in a marker of lipid peroxidation were observed in subjects with coronary artery disease. In conclusion, the benefits of BN consumption were found in different pathways of action and study populations.
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Coutinho-Wolino KS, da Cruz BO, Cardozo LFMDF, Fernandes IA, Mesquita CT, Stenvinkel P, Bergman P, Mafra D, Stockler-Pinto MB. Brazil nut supplementation does not affect trimethylamine-n-oxide plasma levels in patients with coronary artery disease. J Food Biochem 2022; 46:e14201. [PMID: 35467017 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.14201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The purposes of this study were to assess the effect of Brazil nut supplementation on trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with CAD were randomly assigned to two groups, Brazil nut group (23 patients, 48% male, 62.7 ± 6.8 years, 29.4 ± 5.8 kg/m2 ), which received one Brazil nut per day for 3 months, and the control group (14 patients, 43% male, 63.7 ± 8.7 years, 28.4 ± 4.2 kg/m2 ) who did not receive any supplementation. After 3 months, TMAO levels and their precursors did not change in either group. Although not significant, GPx activity increased by 41% in the Brazil nut group. TMAO levels were negatively associated with total fiber intake (r = -0.385 and p = .02). A 3-month Brazil nut supplementation did not change TMAO levels and GPx activity in CAD patients. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) has been associated with oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease risk. Thus, the increase in antioxidants enzymes production could be a promising strategy to reduce TMAO-mediated oxidative stress. In this context, nutritional strategies are well-known as activators of cellular antioxidant responses. As Brazil nuts have a known role in reducing oxidative stress by increasing glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity (a selenium-dependent antioxidant enzyme), this study hypothesized that Brazil nuts could be a strategy that, via antioxidant capacity, would reduce TMAO plasma levels. Although no changes in TMAO levels and GPx activity can be observed in this study, it is believed that other results can be obtained depending on the dosage used. Thus, this study can open new paths and direct other studies with different doses and treatment times to evaluate the effects of Brazil Nuts on TMAO levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Salve Coutinho-Wolino
- Postgraduate Program in Nutrition Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil.,Postgraduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - Beatriz Oliveira da Cruz
- Postgraduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - Ludmila F M De F Cardozo
- Postgraduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - Igor Alexandre Fernandes
- Postgraduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (Physiology and Pharmacology), Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - Claudio Tinoco Mesquita
- Postgraduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - Peter Stenvinkel
- Renal Medicine and Baxter Novum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Bergman
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Denise Mafra
- Postgraduate Program in Nutrition Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil.,Postgraduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil.,Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - Milena Barcza Stockler-Pinto
- Postgraduate Program in Nutrition Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil.,Postgraduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
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