Pistachio and metabolic syndrome: A review article

Background: Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and  type 2 diabetes. The most important strategy for the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome is lifestyle and nutritional changes. The aim of this review study was to survey the role of pistachio in metabolic syndrome. Materials and Methods: Web of Science databases and Google Scholar were searched using keywords pistachio, metabolic syndrome, and some related criteria of metabolic syndrome. Results: In this study, 15 articles were retrieve. These studies reported that pistachio has favourable nutrients such as unsaturated fatty acid, Phytochemical composition, phenolic compounds, vegetable protein, arginine, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. It has been shown that pistachio has an important role in reduction of metabolic syndrome and its risk factors such as abdominal obesity, visceral fat, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. Arginine and polyphenol compounds improve blood circulation. They suppress of appetite and reduce fat absorption. Arginine has vasodilator effects and folic acid is the main antiatherogenic factor and has a role in homocysteine metabolism. Conclusions: The study data suggest that pistachios promote a healthy metabolic profile, and reverse certain deleterious consequences of metabolic syndrome. The suggested dose of pistachios for decreasing metabolic syndrome and its risk factors is 30-100 g/daily. It seems that in order to obtain the maximum dose and a definitive conclusion, a cohort clinical trail is required.