A new study has found that consuming 30g of pistachios as a premeal supplement twice daily for prediabetic Indian adults can have several health benefits. The study, conducted by Dr. V Mohan, Chairman and Chief of Diabetes Research, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre in Chennai, revealed that potential benefits in preventing the progression to type 2 diabetes.
The 12-week clinical trial showed significant improvements in glycemic control, evidenced by reduced glycosylated hemoglobin levels and lower post-meal blood glucose levels when participants consumed 30g pistachios before breakfast and dinner. Additionally, the pistachio group experienced a 10% reduction in triglycerides, along with decreases in waist circumference and other adiposity indices. These findings suggest potential benefits in preventing the progression to type 2 diabetes, according to Dr. Mohan.
This first of its kind study in India, titled “Effect of Premeal Pistachio Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among Asian Indian Adults with Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” was recently published in the Journal of Nutrition and focused on participants with prediabetes. The study was led by Dr. V. Mohan along with collaborators from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA (Dr. Walter Willett, Dr. Frank Hu, and Dr. Shilpa N Bhupathiraju) and Dr. Jordi Salas-Salvadó from the Institut d’Investigació Sanitaria Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain.
Dr. R. M. Anjana, President of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and Managing Director of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre highlighted that India has 136 million adults with prediabetes, surpassing the 101 million with diabetes. While prior studies from the MDRF group underscored the benefits of nuts like almonds and cashews for individuals with obesity and diabetes, this research is the first to evaluate the health effects of pistachios in Asian Indians with prediabetes. Such evaluation is the need of the hour given the higher rate of progression from prediabetes to diabetes and the earlier onset of type 2 diabetes in this population compared to Western counterparts.
Dr. Shilpa N Bhupathiraju, Assistant Professor in Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health & co-senior author of the study explained that incorporating pistachios as a premeal supplement reduces daily carbohydrate intake while increasing consumption of protein and healthy fats. Given that Indian diets often derive nearly half of the daily calories from refined grains like white rice, replacing a portion of these carbohydrates with nutrient-dense pistachios, rich in protein, healthy fats, and polyphenols, can improve overall dietary quality and lower disease risk.
Meanwhile, Ashwini, the study’s first author and PhD Scholar, MDRF reported that urinary N-methyl-trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline (MHP) levels increased by 60 percent, indicating strong adherence to the pistachio diet. Elevated levels of polyphenols, including zeaxanthin, were also observed, underscoring the additional health benefits.
Summarising the study’s impact, Dr. V. Mohan emphasized the positive effects of incorporating pistachios as a pre-meal strategy to improve blood glucose markers, reduce cardiometabolic risk factors, and enhance overall dietary quality. Pistachios, rich in plant proteins and healthy fats, effectively lowered carbohydrate intake and glycemic load. Dr. Mohan recommended incorporating more plant-based proteins into diets, while noting that these findings mainly apply to Asian Indian adults with prediabetes.
The study was funded by the American Pistachio Growers a non-profit trade association and was registered at Clinical trial registry of India’.