Nut Consumption and Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases: A Global Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis

NCT07205978 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: NUTPOOL
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 1,000,000
• Locations: 2 countries
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The relationship between nut consumption and the risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been a subject of growing interest. However, the findings from previous studies have been conflicting for some health outcomes, such as type-2 diabetes, and have been 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. Furthermore, the majority of previous studies have primarily focused on populations in Europe or the United States, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings to other global regions. The NUTPOOL project aims to address these gaps by conducting an extensive individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. This study will evaluate the association between total and specific types of nut consumption and the future risk of NCDs.

Conditions

Diabetes (DM); Cancer; Cardio Vascular Disease; Dementia; Dementia Alzheimer Type; Mortality; Parkinson Disease (PD); Death

Keywords

nuts; moratlity; cardiovascular disease; Diabetes; dementia; IPD; epidemiology; Tree nuts; Peanuts; walnuts; almonds; pistachios; macadamia; cashewnut; pine nuts; Brazil nuts; Adult; Type-2 diabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, type 1*; Cardiovascular diseases*; Coronary health disesase; Alzheimer disease*; Parkinson disease*; Mortality*; Death*; Fatal outcome*; nut

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (8)

• Type-2 diabetes incidence

  Medical diagnosis, self-reported or medication check

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• CVD incidence

  Medical diagnosis, self-reported or medication check

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• Coronary health disesase incidence

  Medical diagnosis, self-reported or medication check

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• Stroke incidence

  Medical diagnosis, self-reported or medication check

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• Total cancer incidence

  Medical diagnosis, self-reported or medication check

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• All-cause mortality rate

  National death registry, self-reported or medication check

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• CVD-mortality rate,

  National death registry, self-reported or medication check

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• Cancer-mortality rate

  National death registry, self-reported or medication check

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Total dementia incidence

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• Undefined dementia incidence

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• Alzheimer's disease incidence

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

• Parkinson's disease incidence

  Minimum of five years of median follow-up

Study Arms (1)

The proposed aims will be evaluated using data from prospective cohort studies from around the world

Prospective studies will be eligible if they have good quality nutrition data from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) about total nuts and/or specific nuts, and well-ascertained data of at least two of the health outcomes (T2D, CVD, cancer, or dementia), more than 1,000 adult participants, and accrued five years or more of median follow-up that allows time-dependent analyses. We expect 25-30 cohorts to be included in the final analysis.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult participants from Cohorts larger than 5000 participants and with at least a mean of 5 years of follow-up

You may qualify if:

• Prospective studies with:
• Dietary data (consumption of nuts, both overall and/or by type) from semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires
• Available data on at least two of the health outcomes of interest
• More than 1,000 adult participants (aged 18 and over)
• A minimum of five years of median follow-up

You may not qualify if:

• Prospective studies determining the consumption of nuts in combination with other food groups (e.g., seeds) or with other nut forms (e.g., butter or oil)
• Participants with:
• Missing data on age, sex, and nut consumption.
• Extreme energy intakes (\<600 or \>3,500 kcal for women and \<800 or \>4,200 kcal for men)
• The disease of interest at baseline

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institut Investigacio Sanitaria Pere Virgili: lead
• University of Copenhagen: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Department of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology

Copenhagen, Denmark

Location

Human Nutrition Unit - Alimentació, Nutrició, Desenvolupament i Salut Mental (ANUT-DSM).

Reus, Catalonia, 43201, Spain

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diabetes Mellitus; Neoplasms; Dementia; Alzheimer Disease; Parkinson Disease; Death; Cardiovascular Diseases

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders; Tauopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor and Co-Prinicpal Investigator NUTPOOL

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 26, 2025
• First Posted: October 3, 2025
• Study Start: October 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 30, 2027
• Last Updated: March 20, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

DK (1); ES (1)