Dataset Information

Walnut consumption increases activation of the insula to highly desirable food cues: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over fMRI study.

ABSTRACT: AIMS:The use of walnuts is recommended for obesity and type 2 diabetes, although the mechanisms through which walnuts may improve appetite control and/or glycaemic control remain largely unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS:To determine whether short-term walnut consumption could alter the neural control of appetite using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial of 10 patients who received, while living in the controlled environment of a clinical research center, either walnuts or placebo (using a validated smoothie delivery system) for 5?days each, separated by a wash-out period of 1?month. RESULTS:Walnut consumption decreased feelings of hunger and appetite, assessed using visual analog scales, and increased activation of the right insula to highly desirable food cues. CONCLUSIONS:These findings suggest that walnut consumption may increase salience and cognitive control processing of highly desirable food cues, leading to the beneficial metabolic effects observed.

SUBMITTER: Farr OM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5720909 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Walnut consumption increases activation of the insula to highly desirable food cues: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over fMRI study.

Farr Olivia M OM Tuccinardi Dario D Upadhyay Jagriti J Oussaada Sabrina M SM Mantzoros Christos S CS

Diabetes, obesity & metabolism 20170817 1

<h4>Aims</h4>The use of walnuts is recommended for obesity and type 2 diabetes, although the mechanisms through which walnuts may improve appetite control and/or glycaemic control remain largely unknown.<h4>Materials and methods</h4>To determine whether short-term walnut consumption could alter the neural control of appetite using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial of 10 patients who received, while living in the c ...[more]

PMID: 28715141

Similar Datasets

Project description:Introduction:Smoking is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Understanding the neurobiology of the rewarding effects of nicotine promises to aid treatment development for nicotine dependence. Through its actions on mesolimbic dopaminergic systems, nicotine engenders enhanced responses to drug-related cues signaling rewards, a mechanism hypothesized to underlie the development and maintenance of nicotine addiction. Methods:We evaluated the effects of acute nicotine on neural responses to anticipatory cues signaling (nondrug) monetary reward or loss among 11 nonsmokers who had no prior history of tobacco smoking. In a double-blind, crossover design, participants completed study procedures while wearing nicotine or placebo patches at least 1 week apart. In each drug condition, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the monetary incentive delay task and performed a probabilistic monetary reward task, probing reward responsiveness as measured by response bias toward a more frequently rewarded stimulus. Results:Nicotine administration was associated with enhanced activation, compared with placebo, of right fronto-anterior insular cortex and striatal regions in response to cues predicting possible rewards or losses and to dorsal anterior cingulate for rewards. Response bias toward rewarded stimuli correlated positively with insular activation to anticipatory cues. Conclusion:Nicotinic enhancement of monetary reward-related brain activation in the insula and striatum in nonsmokers dissociated acute effects of nicotine from effects on reward processing due to chronic smoking. Reward responsiveness predicted a greater nicotinic effect on insular activation to salient stimuli. Implications:Previous research demonstrates that nicotine enhances anticipatory responses to rewards in regions targeted by midbrain dopaminergic systems. The current study provides evidence that nicotine also enhances responses to rewards and losses in the anterior insula. A previous study found enhanced insular activation to rewards and losses in smokers and ex-smokers, a finding that could be due to nicotine sensitization or factors related to current or past smoking. Our finding of enhanced anterior insula response after acute administration of nicotine in nonsmokers provides support for nicotine-induced sensitization of insular response to rewards and losses.

Project description:AimsTo assess the effects of walnuts on cardiometabolic outcomes in obese people and to explore the underlying mechanisms using novel methods including metabolomic, lipidomic, glycomic and microbiome analysis, integrated with lipid particle fractionation, appetite-regulating hormones and haemodynamic measurements.Materials and methodsA total of 10 obese individuals were enrolled in this cross-over, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The participants had two 5-day inpatient stays, during which they consumed a smoothie containing 48 g walnuts or a macronutrient-matched placebo smoothie without nuts, with a 1-month washout period between the two visits.ResultsWalnut consumption improved aspects of the lipid profile; it reduced fasting small and dense LDL particles (P < 0.02) and increased postprandial large HDL particles (P < 0.01). Lipoprotein insulin resistance score, glucose and the insulin area under the curve (AUC) decreased significantly after walnut consumption (P < 0.01, P < 0.02 and P < 0.04, respectively). Consuming walnuts significantly increased 10 N-glycans, with eight of them carrying a fucose core. Lipidomic analysis showed a robust reduction in harmful ceramides, hexosylceramides and sphingomyelins, which have been shown to mediate effects on cardiometabolic risk. The peptide YY AUC significantly increased after walnut consumption (P < 0.03). No major significant changes in haemodynamic or metabolomic analysis or in microbiome host health-promoting bacteria such as Faecalibacterium were found.ConclusionsThese data provide a more comprehensive mechanistic perspective of the effect of dietary walnut consumption on cardiometabolic variables. Lipidomic and lipid nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis showed an early but significant reduction in ceramides and other atherogenic lipids with walnut consumption, which may explain the longer-term benefits of walnuts or other nuts on insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk and mortality.

Dataset Information

Walnut consumption increases activation of the insula to highly desirable food cues: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over fMRI study.

Publications

Walnut consumption increases activation of the insula to highly desirable food cues: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over fMRI study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets