Efeitos do óleo da castanha de caju (Anacardium occidentale) no controle glicêmico e lipídico em pacientes com Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2: estudo de caso com gêmeas monozigóticas

Abstract

Behavioral factors, such as diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and alcohol consumption, influence the development of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes. Dyslipidemias represent an important component in the worsening of metabolic conditions. They are associated with hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia, along with the frequent consumption of foods that make up the Western diet pattern (high intake of saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, rich in fructose, and ultra-processed foods). Therefore, the inclusion of oilseeds in the diet, especially cashew nuts (Anacardium occidentale), is capable of modulating inflammation levels and endothelial dysfunction due to bioactive compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, tocopherols (with recognized antioxidant activity), and phytosterols (with the ability to modulate lipid metabolism), playing a functional role in nutrition. Thus, the purpose of the study was to evaluate, over 12 weeks, whether the consumption of Cashew Nut Oil (CNO) (30 mL/day) has beneficial effects on the metabolic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) with the same genetic material. For this purpose, the first 30 days of intervention were associated with a normocaloric diet and consumption of 30 mL/day of CNO for one of the twins; the other twin used only a diet without oil. After this period until the end of the study, the dietary intervention was withdrawn, maintaining only the CNO for the same twin. Fasting blood glucose; lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides) were evaluated; Circumferences, skinfold thickness, body composition by bioimpedance and DEXA were monitored, and changes in renal (urea and creatinine) and hepatic (alanine aminotransferase, ALT, and aspartate aminotransferase, AST) toxicity due to oil consumption were tracked. This is a case study conducted at the Walter Cantídio University Hospital in the endocrinology sector. The participants are monozygotic twins, 44 years old, using oral antidiabetic medication (gliclazide) and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes less than 10 years ago. The patients were monitored in person and online to observe adverse effects of OACC and dietary follow-up. From this information, a tendency of OACC towards a hypoglycemic effect was observed, favoring an 18% reduction in blood glucose, assisting in achieving the blood glucose target recommended by the Brazilian Diabetes Society (SBD). In addition to the results, assistance was observed in controlling hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, obtaining, in relation to laboratory reference values, improvement in LDL-c (initial collection: 105 mg/dL, collection at 30 days: 86 mg/dL and final collection: 97 mg/dL), VLDL (initial collection: 73.4 mg/dL, collection at 30 days: 34 mg/dL and final collection: 40 mg/dL), total cholesterol (initial collection: 226 mg/dL, collection at 30 days: 162 mg/dL and final collection: 183 mg/dL) and TG (initial collection: 367 mg/dL, collection at 30 days: 170 mg/dL and final collection: 201 mg/dL) levels. Therefore, OACC showed adjuvant potential in the treatment of diabetes and dyslipidemias, due to its hypoglycemic and cardioprotective effects. However, large-scale studies are still needed for more detailed information.