School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia.
Department of Biology, University of Zagreb Faculty of Science, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Nutrients. 2017 Nov 28;9(12):1296. doi: 10.3390/nu9121296.
Nuts are often considered beneficial for health, yet few studies have examined determinants of their intake and the associations between nut consumption and various cardiovascular disease risk factors. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with nut intake in a Mediterranean population, in Croatia, and to investigate the association of nut intake and various cardiovascular risk factors.
Subjects from the Island of Vis, Island of Korčula and the City of Split were included in this cross-sectional study ( = 4416 in total; 4011 without known cardiovascular disease). Survey responses, medical records and clinically relevant measurements were utilized. Multivariate ordinal and logistic regression models were used in the analysis, adjusting for known confounding factors.
As low as 5% of all subjects reported daily, and 11% reported weekly, nut consumption. The characteristics associated with more frequent nut intake were female gender (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.39; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-1.62), highest level of education (1.42; 1.15-1.76) and material status (1.58; 1.29-1.93), smoking abstinence (1.21; 1.04-1.42 in never-smokers and 1.22; 1.02-1.46 in ex-smokers), Mediterranean diet adherence (1.87; 1.62-2.15), and absence of central obesity (1.29; 1.09-1.53), absence of diabetes (1.30; 1.02-1.66) and metabolic syndrome (1.17; 1.01-1.36). Subjects who consumed nuts had more favorable waist-to-height (overall = 0.036) and waist-to-hip ratios (0.033), lesser odds of elevated fibrinogen ( < 0.001 in both weekly and monthly nut consumers) and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ( = 0.026), compared to non-consumers.
It appears that frequent nut consumption is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and better socioeconomic status. A beneficial association of nut intake with cardiovascular risk factors was confirmed in this study.
坚果通常被认为对健康有益，但很少有研究探讨坚果摄入量的决定因素，以及坚果消费与各种心血管疾病风险因素之间的关联。本研究旨在确定克罗地亚地中海人群中与坚果摄入量相关的因素，并研究坚果摄入量与各种心血管风险因素的关联。
本横断面研究纳入了维斯岛、科尔丘拉岛和斯普利特市的受试者（共计 4416 人，其中 4011 人无已知心血管疾病）。利用调查应答、医疗记录和临床相关测量数据。在分析中采用多变量有序和逻辑回归模型，并调整了已知混杂因素。
只有 5%的受试者报告每天食用坚果，11%的受试者报告每周食用坚果。与更频繁食用坚果相关的特征是女性（比值比（OR）= 1.39；95%置信区间（CI）1.19-1.62）、最高教育水平（1.42；1.15-1.76）和物质状况（1.58；1.29-1.93）、不吸烟（从不吸烟者中为 1.21；1.04-1.42，前吸烟者中为 1.22；1.02-1.46）、遵循地中海饮食（1.87；1.62-2.15）、无中心性肥胖（1.29；1.09-1.53）、无糖尿病（1.30；1.02-1.66）和代谢综合征（1.17；1.01-1.36）。食用坚果的受试者腰围与身高比（总体为 0.036）和腰围与臀围比（0.033）更有利，纤维蛋白原升高的几率更低（每周和每月食用坚果者均 < 0.001），高密度脂蛋白（HDL）胆固醇水平更低（非食用者为 0.026）。
看来，经常食用坚果是健康生活方式和更好社会经济地位的重要组成部分。本研究证实了坚果摄入量与心血管疾病风险因素之间有益的关联。
