Nuts effects in chronic disease and relationship between walnuts and Satiety: Review on the available evidence

Abstract According to epidemiological studies overweight and obesity are increasing rapidly and an inverse relationship between nuts intake and body weight has been seen, however the results of studies have not yet confirmed these effects. The aim of the present study was to conduct a literature review in systematic format on the available evidence to assess the relationship between nuts consumption with obesity and satiety factors with emphasis on walnut consumption with review of clinical trial studies. The literatures search to find related studies were performed through four scientific databases, including Web of Knowledge, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar. One of the possible mechanisms for the effect of nuts intake on weight control is promoting satiety. Clinical trial reports have shown that probable nuts intake is associated with weight loss and may help with weight control by reducing appetite and decreasing fat absorption. Walnut contains 18% protein and 58% fat (linoleic acid (50.58 - 66.60%), oleic acid (14.88 - 28.71%) and linolenic acid (9.16 -16.42%). It seems that appetite-suppressing effect of walnut is related to its PUFA and fiber content. Despite beneficial effects of walnut consumption on health, it appears that further long-term studies should be conducted to evaluate the satiating properties of walnut.