Background: Oxylipins are products derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that play a role in cardiovascular disease and aging. Fish oil -derived n-3 PUFAs promote the formation of anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory oxylipins; however, there are little data on oxylipins derived from alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3), the primary plant -derived n-3 PUFA. Walnuts are a source of C18:3n-3. Objectives: To investigate the effect on serum oxylipins of a diet enriched with walnuts at 15% energy (30-60 g/d; 2.6-5.2 g C18:3n-3/d) for 2 y compared to a control diet (abstention from walnuts) in healthy older males and females (63-79 y). Methods: The red blood cell proportion of alpha-linolenic acid was determined by gas chromatography as a measure of compliance. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure serum concentrations of 53 oxylipins in participants randomly assigned to receive the walnut diet (n = 64) or the control diet (n = 51). Two-year concentration changes (final minus baseline) were log -transformed (base log -10) and standardized (mean -centered and divided by the standard deviation of each variable). Volcano plots were then generated (fold change >= 1.5; false discovery rate <0.1). For each oxylipin delta surviving multiple testing, we further assessed betweenintervention group differences by analysis of covariance adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and the baseline concentration of the oxylipin. Results: The 2-y change in red blood cell C18:3n-3 in the walnut group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.001). Compared to the control diet, the walnut diet resulted in statistically significantly greater increases in 3 C18:3n-3-derived oxylipins (9HOTrE, 13-HOTrE, and 12,13-EpODE) and in the C20:5n-3 derived 14,15-diHETE, and greater reductions of the C20:4n-6-derived 5-HETE, 19-HETE, and 5,6-diHETrE. Conclusions: Long-term walnut consumption changes the serum oxylipin profile in healthy older persons. Our results add novel mechanistic evidence on the cardioprotective effects of walnuts.

Background: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is thought to reduce liver steatosis. Objectives: To explore the associations with liver steatosis of 3 different diets: aMedDiet+ extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), MedDiet + nuts, or a control diet. Methods: This was a subgroup analysis nested within a multicenter, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial, PREvencion con DIeta MEDiterranea (PREDIMED trial: ISRCTN35739639), aimed at assessing the effect of a MedDiet on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. One hundred men and women (mean age: 64 +/- 6 y), at high cardiovascular risk (62% with type 2 diabetes) from the Bellvitge-PREDIMED center were randomly assigned to a MedDiet supplemented with EVOO, a MedDiet supplemented with mixed nuts, or a control diet (advice to reduce all dietary fat). No recommendations to lose weight or increase physical activity were given. Main measurements were the percentage of liver fat and the diagnosis of steatosis, which were determined by NMR imaging. The association of diet with liver fat content was analyzed by bivariate analysis after a median follow-up of 3 y. Results: Baseline adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors were similar among the 3 treatment arms. At 3 y after the intervention hepatic steatosis was present in 3 (8.8%), 12 (33.3%), and 10 (33.3%) of the participants in the MedDiet + EVOO, MedDiet + nuts, and control diet groups, respectively (P = 0.027). Respective mean values of liver fat content were 1.2%, 2.7%, and 4.1% (P = 0.07). A tendency toward significance was observed for the MedDiet + EVOO group compared with the control group. Median values of urinary 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid/creatinine concentrations were significantly (P = 0.001) lower in the MedDiet + EVOO (2.3 ng/mg) than in the MedDiet + nuts (5.0 ng/mg) and control (3.9 ng/mg) groups. No differences in adiposity or glycemic control changes were seen between groups. Conclusions: An energy-unrestricted MedDiet supplemented with EVOO, a food with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is associated with a reduced prevalence of hepatic steatosis in older individuals at high cardiovascular risk.

Background and aims: Moderate alcohol consumption exerts a cardioprotective effect, but no studies have evaluated the alcohol-independent cardiovascular effects of the nonalcoholic components of beer. We aimed to evaluate the effects of ethanol and the phenolic compounds of beer on classical and novel cardiovascular risk factors.Methods and results: Thirty-three high risk male volunteers were included in a randomized, crossover feeding trial. After a washout period, all subjects received beer (30 g alcohol/d, 660 mL), the equivalent amount of polyphenols as non-alcoholic beer (990 mL), and gin (30 g alcohol/d, 100 mL) for 4 weeks. All outcomes were evaluated before and after each intervention period. Moderate alcohol consumption increased serum HDL-cholesterol (similar to 5%), ApoA-I (similar to 6%), ApoA-II (similar to 7%) and adiponectin (similar to 7%), and decreased serum fibrinogen (similar to 8%), and interleukin (IL)-5 (similar to 14%) concentrations, whereas the non-alcoholic fraction of beer (mainly polyphenols) increased the receptor antagonist of IL-1 (similar to 24%), and decreased lymphocyte expression of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (similar to 11%), lymphocyte and monocyte expression of Sialil-Lewis X (similar to 16%) and monocyte expression of CCR2 (similar to 31%), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-beta (similar to 14%) and IL-15 (similar to 22%) plasma concentrations. No changes were observed in glucose metabolism parameters or in body weight and adiposity parameters.Conclusion: The phenolic content of beer reduces leukocyte adhesion molecules and inflammatory biomarkers, whereas alcohol mainly improves the lipid profile and reduces some plasma inflammatory biomarkers related to atherosclerosis. Trial registration number: ISRCTN95345245(http://www.isrctn.org/). (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.