Health Benefits of Nuts That May Surprise You

Nuts not only are tasty whole food snacks and can be used to make delicious recipes, but they are also rich in health promoting nutritional compounds which help to combat many chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease, cancer).

Although nuts may be considered as calorie-dense foods especially if weight management is of concern, contrary to popular belief, regular nut consumption does not increase body weight, body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference, according to scientific research.¹

The above are referring to consumption of whole nuts rather than processed nuts or nut products which can be filled with added sugars or other seasoning and additives.

Therefore, unless you have nut allergies or sensitivities, it is good to incorporate unprocessed or minimally processed nuts (e.g., roasted nuts) as part of a healthy whole food plant-rich diet.

(For more details of an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle strategies that help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, please check out my previous article: Why Adopt an Anti-inflammatory Diet & Lifestyle and How?)

Please check out my article below on what scientific research shows about the health benefits of nut consumption which may surprise you, the appropriate amount of nuts to consume, and a list of healthy nuts in terms of antioxidant content. The issues of nut allergies/sensitivities are also discussed.

For some recipe ideas that incorporate nuts, please check out my previous articles:

• Easy Maple Pecan Cookies
• Take Advantage of the Abundance of Herb Harvest in Late Summer (Recipes Included)

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Health Benefits of Nut Consumption

Nuts are rich in healthy fats including monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), fibers, protein, minerals (e.g., magnesium, potassium, copper, selenium), vitamins (e.g., Bs, E, K), antioxidants and other beneficial phytonutrients, all of which are health-promoting and help to fight against chronic diseases.¹

The following is a summary of some the health benefits associated with nut consumption, as shown by scientific studies:

• Anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory properties: A major factor contributing to the disease-fighting effects (see bullets below) of nuts is their anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory properties. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are major culprits to many chronic diseases, including those discussed below. Certain nuts are high in antioxidant contents, even higher than berries. According to USDA database, the top 5 nuts with the highest amount of antioxidation properties are pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, and almonds (in descending order).^4,9 (For more information on what chronic inflammation is and how it affects our health, please check out my previous article: Why Adopt an Anti-inflammatory Diet & Lifestyle and How?.)

• Cardiovascular and heart health: Nuts have been found to have cardioprotective effects. Nut consumption of 15-20g/day is associated with lower risk of and mortality associated with coronary heart disease, stroke and other types of cardiovascular disorders/diseases (incl. high LDL cholesterol, hypertension).^2,5,7

• Weight management: Although nuts are calorie-dense foods with high fat content, the types of fats present in nuts are healthy MUFAs and PUFAs. Frequent nut consumption (one to several servings per day, where one serving is 28g), especially whole nuts, does not increase body weight, body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference. On the contrary, some studies showed that frequent nut consumption is associated with reduced BMI and risk of obesity.^1,6

• Cancer risk reduction: Nuts have been found to have anti-tumor and anti-cancer effects. Regular nut consumption of 5-20 g/day was found to lower the risk of and mortality associated with cancers, and specifically pancreatic, colon and breast cancers.⁸

• Blood glucose regulation: Regular nut consumption of one or more serving per day is associated with improved blood glucose and insulin levels, and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.⁹

• All-cause mortality reduction: All-cause mortality is the mortality due to any disease. Regular nut consumption of 15-20 g/day is associated with lower rate of all-cause of mortality.^2,5

• Gut health: The health of the gut is highly dependent on the composition of gut microbiota (community of microorganisms in the gut). Our diet can significantly impact our gut microbiota. Nuts are rich in fibers, polyphenols and unsaturated fats, which are prebiotics that feed the beneficial microorganisms in the gut, which in turn promote gut health.¹⁰ (For more information on the importance of diet and prebiotics on the health of our gut microbiota, please check out my previous article: Prebiotics versus Probiotics: Is One Better Than the Other?)

Based on what scientific research has shown, as discussed above, it is beneficial to incorporate nuts as part of a whole food plant-rich diet.

Consuming about 20g (about a small handful) of nuts per day seems to be the appropriate amount for beneficial health effects.

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What About Nut Allergies and Sensitivities?

For some people, nuts can trigger immune hyper-reactivity. There are two types of immune hyper-reactivity, namely food allergies and food sensitivities.

Food Allergies

Nut allergies are common is our modern society. Tree nuts and peanuts have been identified as two of the eight major food allergens in the United States.¹¹

Tree nuts most commonly reported to trigger allergic reactions include almond, Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio and walnut.¹²

Allergic reactions are caused by IgE antibody mediated immune response that produces overt and acute symptoms typically within minutes after ingestion of very small amount of food allergens. Symptoms can range from mild to severe (e.g., hives, face/tongue/lip swelling, vomiting, difficulty breathing, anaphylaxis) where immediate medical attention is required. ^11,12

Food Sensitivities

Beside allergic reactions, nuts can also trigger another type of immune hyper-reaction in the body, called food sensitivities. Food sensitivities are caused by IgG antibody mediated immune response. ¹³

Unlike food allergies which trigger overt and acute symptoms that require immediate attention, food sensitivities typically produce delayed, subdued and non-specific symptoms that are often hard to pinpoint the cause and may go undiagnosed. Some of the common symptoms include chronic fatigue, chronic pain, migraines, skin issues, mood disorders, etc.^13,14

One could self-check for potential hidden food sensitivities through adopting an elimination diet where a suspicious food or food group is eliminated from the diet for a few weeks and observe any change in symptoms.

Alternatively, blood tests can be performed to check for the presence of IgG antibodies against various food compounds. (See more details of functional lab testing for food sensitivity in Functional Health Coaching.)

Take Care of Your Gut

It is important to note that both food allergies and sensitivities are related to gut dysfunctions including maldigestion of protein, and leaky gut (or intestinal permeability), both of which cause the ‘leakage’ of undigested or partially digested proteins from the small intestine into the bloodstream, triggering immune reactivity^13–15.

Therefore, in addition to avoiding foods that trigger allergic and sensitivity reactions, it is important to support gut health and address any gut dysfunction, to help to resolve food allergies and sensitivities in the long run.

(For more information on gut health, please check out my previous articles: Why Your Gut Feeling Matters, Tips to Promote Gut Health for a Healthy Body & Mind.)

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Related Articles

Why Adopt an Anti-inflammatory Diet & Lifestyle and How?

Prebiotics versus Probiotics: Is One Better Than the Other?

Why Your Gut Feeling Matters

Tips to Promote Gut Health for a Healthy Body & Mind

Easy Maple Pecan Cookies

Take Advantage of the Abundance of Herb Harvest in Late Summer (Recipes Included)

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References

1. Flores-Mateo G, Rojas-Rueda D, Basora J, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J. Nut intake and adiposity: meta-analysis of clinical trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;97(6):1346-1355. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.031484
2. Aune D, Keum N, Giovannucci E, et al. Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMC Med. 2016;14(1):207. Published 2016 Dec 5. doi:10.1186/s12916-016-0730-3
3. Zhou D, Yu H, He F, et al. Nut consumption in relation to cardiovascular disease risk and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;100(1):270-277. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.079152
4. Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2. May 2010.
5. Chen GC, Zhang R, Martínez-González MA, et al. Nut consumption in relation to all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a meta-analysis 18 prospective studies. Food Funct. 2017;8(11):3893-3905. doi:10.1039/c7fo00915a
6. Xia K, Yang T, An LY, et al. The relationship between pistachio (Pistacia vera L) intake and adiposity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020;99(34):e21136. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000021136
7. Becerra-Tomás N, Paz-Graniel I, W C Kendall C, et al. Nut consumption and incidence of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular disease mortality: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Nutr Rev. 2019;77(10):691-709. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuz042
8. Naghshi S, Sadeghian M, Nasiri M, Mobarak S, Asadi M, Sadeghi O. Association of Total Nut, Tree Nut, Peanut, and Peanut Butter Consumption with Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Adv Nutr. 2021;12(3):793-808. doi:10.1093/advances/nmaa152
9. de Souza RGM, Schincaglia RM, Pimentel GD, Mota JF. Nuts and Human Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017;9(12):1311. Published 2017 Dec 2. doi:10.3390/nu9121311
10. Creedon AC, Hung ES, Berry SE, Whelan K. Nuts and their Effect on Gut Microbiota, Gut Function and Symptoms in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2347. Published 2020 Aug 6. doi:10.3390/nu12082347
11. S. Food & Drug Administration. Food Allergies: What You Need to Know. https://www.fda.gov/media/79019/download. Published 2021.
12. McWilliam V, Koplin J, Lodge C, Tang M, Dharmage S, Allen K. The Prevalence of Tree Nut Allergy: A Systematic Review. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2015;15(9):54. doi:10.1007/s11882-015-0555-8
13. Shakoor Z, AlFaifi A, AlAmro B, AlTawil LN, AlOhaly RY. Prevalence of IgG-mediated food intolerance among patients with allergic symptoms. Ann Saudi Med. 2016;36(6):386-390. doi:10.5144/0256-4947.2016.386
14. Karakuła-Juchnowicz H, Szachta P, Opolska A, et al. The role of IgG hypersensitivity in the pathogenesis and therapy of depressive disorders. Nutr Neurosci. 2017;20(2):110-118. doi:10.1179/1476830514Y.0000000158
15. König J, Wells J, Cani PD, et al. Human Intestinal Barrier Function in Health and Disease. Clin Transl Gastroenterol. 2016;7(10):e196. Published 2016 Oct 20. doi:10.1038/ctg.2016.54