THE NUTPOOL PROJECT
World Epidemiological Study

Scientific abstract

The relationship between nut consumption and the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been a subject of growing interest. Yet, findings from previous studies have been conflicting for some health outcomes such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), and underexplored for other outcomes such as neurodegenerative diseases. One contributing factor to these inconsistencies lies in the different analytical approaches and confounding factors used across studies. Further, most of the previous studies have predominantly focused on populations in Europe or United States of America (USA), potentially restricting the broader applicability of the findings to other global regions. The NUTPOOL project seeks to address these gaps and evaluate the association between total and specific types of nut consumption and the future risk of NCDs, namely T2D, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, neurodegenerative diseases (dementia and Alzheimer’s disease), and mortality through an extensive individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. In addition, we will evaluate potential dose-response relationships and conduct subgroup analyses based on demographics, geography, lifestyle, and other relevant factors. NUTPOOL will use cutting-edge epidemiological approaches to leverage existing resources from diverse worldwide cohorts, involving approximately 20 cohorts representing over a million participants, across regions like the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Collectively, the NUTPOOL project will contribute substantively to shaping public health recommendations and dietary guidelines, potentially influencing healthier dietary patterns worldwide.

The relationship between nut consumption and the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been a subject of growing interest. Yet, findings from previous studies have been conflicting for some health outcomes such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), and underexplored for other outcomes such as neurodegenerative diseases. One contributing factor to these inconsistencies lies in the different analytical approaches and confounding factors used across studies.

Further, most of the previous studies have predominantly focused on populations in Europe or United States of America (USA), potentially restricting the broader applicability of the findings to other global regions.

The NUTPOOL project seeks to address these gaps and evaluate the association between total and specific types of nut consumption and the future risk of NCDs, namely T2D, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, neurodegenerative diseases (dementia and Alzheimer’s disease), and mortality through an extensive individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. In addition, we will evaluate potential dose-response relationships and conduct subgroup analyses based on demographics, geography, lifestyle, and other relevant factors. NUTPOOL will use cutting-edge epidemiological approaches to leverage existing resources from diverse worldwide cohorts, involving approximately 20 cohorts representing over a million participants, across regions like the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

Collectively, the NUTPOOL project will contribute substantively to shaping public health recommendations and dietary guidelines, potentially influencing healthier dietary patterns worldwide.

Hypothesis

The overarching goal of the NUTPOOL project is to conduct an IPD meta-analysis pooling results of worldwide representative large prospective cohort studies on the associations of total and specific types of nut consumption and the future risk of NCDs. This project will use cutting-edge epidemiological approaches to leverage existing resources from worldwide prospective cohorts. We anticipate that about 20 cohorts with >1 million participants will participate in the analysis representing populations across America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. We hypothesize that higher consumption of nuts is associated with a lower risk of developing several NCDs and mortality independent of other risk factors including dietary patterns, lifestyle, and socio-demographic factors.

The specific aims are:

Aim 1.
Evaluate the associations between the consumption of total and specific types of nuts and the incidence of NCDs including T2D, total CVD (coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke) and cardiovascular mortality, total cancer and cancer mortality, neurodegenerative diseases (dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases) and all-cause mortality. We will determine whether these associations are consistent across specific types of nuts.

Aim 2.
Evaluate potential dose-response relationships and subgroup analyses based on demographics, geography, or other relevant factors including T2D, obesity, age, sex, race/ethnicity, physical activity, and overall dietary pattern adherence, among others.

In summary, the NUTPOOL project seeks to bring together extensive data from various largescale studies globally to comprehensively investigate the associations between nut consumption, NCDs, and mortality. This approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of how consuming nuts might impact these health outcomes, potentially informing public health recommendations and dietary guidelines.