For the first time, scientists report a link between eating nuts and higher levels of serotonin in the bodies of patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), who are at high risk for heart disease.
Serotonin is a substance that helps transmit nerve signals and decreases feelings of hunger, makes people feel happier and improves heart health. It took only one ounce (30 grams) of mixed nuts (raw unpeeled walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts) a day to produce the good effects. The report appears in American Chemical Society’s Journal of Proteome Research.
With the rise in obesity around the world, more and more patients have MetS, and symptoms include excess abdominal fat, high blood sugar and high blood pressure, which all increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Spanish researchers put 22 MetS patients on a nut-enriched diet for 12 weeks and compared them to another group of 20 patients who were told to avoid nuts.
After analyzing compounds excreted in the patients’ urine, researchers found evidence of several healthful changes. One surprise was evidence that nut consumption had boosted patients’ levels of serotonin metabolites in urine.
Scientists point out that the study provides the first human evidence of the beneficial effects of nut consumption in reducing levels of substances in the body associated with inflammation and other cardiovascular risk factors.
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