Effect of Pistachios on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels and Gut Satiety Hormone Responses
Cyril Kendall, Amin Esfahani, Andrea Josse, David Jenkins

Background: Nut consumption is associated with reduced risk of CHD and type 2 diabetes and healthy body weights. Previous studies demonstrated that pistachios decrease the postprandial glycemic response of carbohydrate foods.

Objective: To assess the effect of pistachios on postprandial serum insulin/glucose levels and gut satiety hormone responses.

Methods: Fasted subjects (9M,6F) consumed 3 different meals in random order. Test meals, with similar macronutrient profiles, consisted of white bread (WB) plus 2oz of pistachios, and; WB plus butter and cheese. The control meal was WB. Capillary finger-prick and venous blood samples were taken and subjective satiety measures via a visual analogue scale were assessed over 3 hours.

Results: Compared to the control, peak postprandial glucose concentration was reduced in both test meals while plasma insulin was not different. However, GIP iAUC for WB was significantly lower than for the test meals. GLP-1 levels were consistently higher after WB+Pistachio meal compared to other meals and GLP-1 iAUC of both WB+Pistachio and WB+Cheese meals were significantly higher than WB control meal. Despite absence of changes in VAS satiety scores, several hunger markers were increased over the first hour in the control meal. Conclusion: Reducing postprandial glycemia and altering gut hormones may be further mechanisms by which pistachios contribute to health.