Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV - CONICET). Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales - Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba, Argentina.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Jul;64(21):7426-7450. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2023.2185202. Epub 2023 Mar 9.
The health benefits of nut consumption have been extensively demonstrated in observational studies and intervention trials. Besides the high nutritional value, countless evidences show that incorporating nuts into the diet may contribute to health promotion and prevention of certain diseases. Such benefits have been mostly and certainly attributed not only to their richness in healthy lipids (plentiful in unsaturated fatty acids), but also to the presence of a vast array of phytochemicals, such as polar lipids, squalene, phytosterols, tocochromanols, and polyphenolic compounds. Thus, many nut chemical compounds apply well to the designation "nutraceuticals," a broad umbrella term used to describe any food component that, in addition to the basic nutritional value, can contribute extra health benefits. This contribution analyses the general chemical profile of groundnut and common tree nuts (almond, walnut, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, macadamia, pecan), focusing on lipid components and phytochemicals, with a view on their bioactive properties. Relevant scientific literature linking consumption of nuts, and/or some of their components, with ameliorative and/or preventive effects on selected diseases - such as cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative pathologies - was also reviewed. In addition, the bioactive properties were analyzed in the light of known mechanistic frameworks.
坚果的健康益处已在观察性研究和干预试验中得到广泛证实。除了营养价值高之外，无数证据表明，将坚果纳入饮食可能有助于促进健康和预防某些疾病。这些益处主要归因于它们富含健康脂质（富含不饱和脂肪酸），但也归因于存在大量植物化学物质，如极性脂质、角鲨烯、植物固醇、生育三烯酚和多酚化合物。因此，许多坚果化学物质非常适合被称为“功能性食品”，这是一个广泛的术语，用于描述除了基本营养价值之外，还能额外带来健康益处的任何食物成分。本文分析了落花生和常见树坚果（杏仁、核桃、腰果、榛子、开心果、澳洲坚果、山核桃）的一般化学特征，重点是脂质成分和植物化学物质，以及它们的生物活性特性。还回顾了与坚果消费相关的相关科学文献，以及（或）其某些成分对某些疾病（如癌症、心血管、代谢和神经退行性疾病）的改善和/或预防作用。此外，还根据已知的机制框架分析了生物活性特性。
