A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that daily almond consumption was associated with improvements in cognitive performance, metabolic health, and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in middle-aged Asian Indian adults with prediabetes
The 24-week randomized controlled trial, funded by the Almond Board of California, involved 60 adults aged 40 to 60 in New Delhi with prediabetes but no signs of cognitive decline. Participants followed either a control diet or a calorie-matched diet including 32 to 42 grams of almonds per day, equivalent to about 20% of daily calorie intake
Researchers measured cognitive function, blood glucose, insulin, HbA1c, blood lipids, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body composition at the beginning and end of the study
© California Almond Board
Compared with the control group, participants consuming almonds showed improvements in executive function and processing speed. Measures of sustained attention, overall cognition, memory and working memory were not statistically significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons
The almond group also recorded lower fasting and post-meal blood glucose levels, lower HbA1c, and reductions in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, BMI, body fat, body weight and waist circumference. Participants lost an average of 3.3 kilograms and reduced waist circumference by 3.1 centimetres during the study. Researchers also reported changes in markers linked to inflammation and oxidative stress, although biomarker-cognition correlations were not statistically significant after multiple-comparison adjustment.
Dr. Anoop Misra, co-investigator and Chairman of the Fortis-CDOC Center of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases, and Endocrinology in New Delhi, said: “Adults with prediabetes are vulnerable to a decline in cognitive function. Our study indicates that just one simple dietary change, adding a small quantity of almonds to the daily diet, may help support brain health and improve cognitive performance in some populations.”
He added: “As with our previous research, we found that diets enriched with almonds benefit metabolic health measures like blood sugar control and body weight. Together, these changes could help lower the risk of prediabetes progressing to type 2 diabetes, a condition associated with an increased risk of dementia.”
The researchers said the findings are limited by the study’s sample size, 24-week duration, and focus on middle-aged Asian Indian adults with prediabetes. They noted that further studies involving larger and more diverse populations are needed.
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