Investigating the effect of (poly)phenols from nuts on carbohydrate digestion, absorption and metabolism in vitro

This study explored how natural compounds in walnuts affect carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption. There were no previous studies investigating this specifically on key human enzymes. This project showed that walnut extracts can slow these enzymes, especially α-amylase and sucrase-isomaltase, and reduce glucose absorption in human gut cells. For the first time, maltase-glucoamylase was extracted from human cells but walnut compounds had little effect on this enzyme. Finally, pilot experiments showed that gut cells are affected by high fasting insulin levels. Overall, these results suggest walnuts might help control blood glucose spikes after meals to reduce risk of chronic disease.