Almond Supplementation Reduces Uric Acid in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

by | Jan 4, 2018 | 2015, Cardiovascular Health, Nuts and Seeds

Written by James C. Morton Jr, Staff Writer. Twelve weeks of supplementation with Pakistani and American almonds significantly decreased the uric acid serum levels of coronary artery disease patients compared to the control group.

nuts and seedsHyperuricemia, a byproduct of the Western diet, has recently increased its global presence. Higher serum uric acid levels not only equate with gout, hypertension, and renal insufficiency 1 but are also often associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) 2.  Even in patients with no history of heart disease and stroke, elevated serum uric acid imposes a higher risk for myocardial infarction and stroke 3. An increase in serum UA of just 1 mg/dL contributes to a 12 % increase in risk of death from CAD 4. This association is believed to be stronger in women than men, although, middle-aged men with high uric acid levels may also be at risk 5. Therefore, reducing hypertension and normalizing hyperlipidemia to decrease uric acid production may help reduce CAD mortality.

A 2016 randomized controlled clinical study 6 of 150 patients with CAD investigated the effect of almond supplementation on uric acid blood plasma levels. Patients who completed the study (85 males, 28 females), aged 57 – 61 years, received either 10 grams of Pakistani almonds (n=38), American almonds (n=41) or Control Group (n= 34 and no almonds).

Analysis was done at 6 weeks and 12 weeks of almond supplementation and revealed that10 mg of almonds, eaten daily before breakfast for 12 weeks, significantly reduced uric acid in CAD patients.

Control Group (NI)Pakistani Almonds GroupAmerican Almonds Group
Males 6 weeks1.4% Decrease (7.2- 7.1) p > 0.0513.1% Decrease (6.9 - 6.0)
p < 0.05		13.0% Decrease (6.8 -5.9)
p < 0.05
Males 12 weeks 2.8% Decrease (7.2 - 7.0)
p > 0.05		16.0 % Decrease (6.9-5.8)
p < 0.05		18.0% Decrease (6.8- 5.6)
p < 0.05
Females 6 weeks1.7% Decrease (5.9 - 5.8)
p > 0.05		10.5% Decrease (5.7- 5.1)
p < 0.05		16.1% Decrease (5.6 -4.7)
p < 0.05
Females 12 weeks1.7% Decrease (5.9- 5.8)
p > 0.05		14.0% Decrease (5.7- 4.9)
p < 0.05 		18.0% Decrease (5.6- 4.6)
p < 0.05

When suggesting how almond supplementation benefits those with CAD and hyperuricemia, researchers pointed out to almonds’ ability to metabolically act as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant 7, and to protect vascular function by reducing dyslipidemia that contributes to high-fat induced hyperuricemia 8. In addition, almonds are rich in L-arginine, a precursor to nitric oxide which, in a rat study, was shown to have an antiproliferative effect on vascular smooth muscle cells and to also reverse hyperuricemia-induced hypertension 9. In this study, CAD patients showed no significant difference in blood pressure because almost all of them were on anti-hypertensive medications and had baseline blood pressures that were within normal ranges.

A limitation of this study was its inclusion criteria of only CAD patients with optimal LDL-C and suboptimal HDL levels which may not accurately represent the general CAD population.

Previous clinical studies have shown almonds’ potential to improve dyslipidemia; however, this current study is the first almond-intervention study that demonstrates the ability of almonds to protect the vascular system of CAD patients by significantly reducing serum uric acid. Hopefully, future trials (longer than 12 weeks duration) may be able to demonstrate the precise underlying mechanisms of almonds’ action on serum uric acid in CAD patients.

Source: Jamshed, Humaira, Fateh Ali Tipoo Sultan, Faridah Amin, Jamshed Arslan, Sumaira Ghani, and Madiha Masroor. “Almond supplementation reduces serum uric acid in coronary artery disease patients: a randomized controlled trial.” Nutrition journal 15, no. 1 (2015): 77.

© 2016 The Author(s). Open Access under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Posted January 4, 2018.

James C. Morton, Jr. MPH, BS, graduated from the University of Arizona in 2009 with a BS double major in Biochemistry/Molecular Biophysics & Molecular Cellular Biology. He is currently a candidate for the Naturopathic Medical Doctor degree at the National University of Health Science in Lombard, IL.  His research involves Aedes agypti mosquito and live Denue Virus at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He completed four research internships: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, working with cancer cells (2009); Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, working on Aedes aegypti mosquito and live Dengue Virus (2008); University of Arizona, working on Aedes aegypti mosquito and lipid transporter protein (2006); and Arizona State University West, working on various bacteria (2005).

References:

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