Brazil nut consumption within an energy-restricted diet improved cardiometabolic risk markers in women: a quasi-experimental, controlled study (Brazilian Nuts Study)

Consuming functional foods alongside the energy-restricted diet can be a great ally in weight loss and improving cardiometabolic risk factors. Whether Brazil nut (BN) consumption in the context of energy restriction affects them remains to be answered. We aimed to evaluate the effect of BN within an energy-restricted diet on cardiometabolic risk markers among women. This is an eight-week, quasi-experimental, controlled nutritional intervention study. The women were allocated into two energy-restricted (-500 kcal/d) groups: a control free of BN (n=29) and a BN-group (BNG) (n=27) with 2 units/day of BN (~ 347 µg of selenium). Both groups had similar weight loss, but in the BNG, the serum selenium increased by 276.7% and apolipoprotein A1 increased by 27.4%. In addition, BNG had a more pronounced reduction in liver enzymes, and presented the most preserved percentages of lean and fat-free mass in relation to the control group. Consuming 2 units/day of BN in an 8-week weight loss intervention improved cardiometabolic risk markers in women. Our results suggest that regular consumption of BN during energy-restricted diets may be a strategy to minimize adiposity, preserve lean mass, improve serum selenium status, lipid, and liver metabolism markers, and, consequently, help obesity management and its comorbidities.