The effect of walnut oil consumption on blood sugar control in patients with type two diabetes

Introduction
Various epidemiological studies have shown the relationship between increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases (CAD) on the one hand and poor control of blood sugar and lipid profile on the other hand. Furthermore, it has been shown that substitution of saturated fatty acids with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and α linolenic acid (ALA) would improve glucose homeostasis.

Material and methods
One hundred diabetic patients were assigned to the experiment and control groups randomly. For the experiment group, walnut oil (15 g/day for three months) was added to the diet, while the control group did not undergo any interventions. Before initiation of the experiment and after the end of the experiment, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) levels of the patients were measured and recorded. Also, weight and height of the patients were recorded, and a blood sample was taken for measurement of fasting blood sugar (FBS) and HbA1c and using paired t-test and t-test for analysis.

Results
The results demonstrated that HbA1c and FBS levels decreased significantly in the experiment group (p = 0.032 and p = 0.029, respectively). However, the two groups were not significantly different in terms of SBP (p = 0.103), DBP (p = 0.687), body weight (p = 0.202), and BMI (p = 0.416).

Conclusions
Consumption of walnut oil (15 g/day for three months) improved blood glucose homeostasis in type 2 diabetic patients. Because no changes in the bodyweight and blood pressure of the patients were seen, it could be used in hypertensive or obese patients.