Study sparks renewed interest in nuts for weight management with peak cardiometabolic results

20 Sep 2023 --- An energy-restricted diet that prioritizes almonds can help people lose weight and improve their cardiometabolic health, according to an extensive new study by the University of South Australia (UniSA). Nuts are often overlooked in weight management strategies because they are high in fats. However, current research shows their benefits are manifold.

The researchers note that diet strategy is key to optimizing the benefits of almonds for weight loss. The researchers found that energy-restricted diets supplemented with almonds or carbohydrate-rich snacks reduced body weight by roughly 7 kg.

“In this study, we examined the effects of an almond-supplemented diet with a nut-free diet to identify any influence on weight and cardiometabolic outcomes. The nut and nut-free diets resulted in approximately 9.3% reduction in body weight over the trial,” says Dr. Sharayah Carter, research associate at UniSA Allied Health and Human Performance.

“Yet the almond-supplemented diets also demonstrated statistically significant changes in some highly atherogenic lipoprotein subfractions, which may lead to improved cardiometabolic health in the longer term. Additionally, nuts have the added benefit of making you feel fuller for longer, which is always a pro when trying to manage your weight.”

Restricting energy intake with nuts
Funded by the Almond Board of California, the study  recruited 106 participants to complete a nine-month eating program – a three-month energy-restricted diet for weight loss, followed by a six-month energy-controlled diet for weight maintenance. The findings were published in Obesity. 

In both phases, 15% of participants’ energy intake comprised unsalted whole almonds with skins (for the nut diet) or 15% carbohydrate-rich snacks – such as rice crackers or baked cereal bars ­(for the nut-free diet). The current study demonstrates that nuts can support a healthy diet for weight management and cardiometabolic health.

“Nuts, like almonds, are a great snack. They’re high in protein, fiber and packed with vitamins and minerals, but they also have a high fat content, which people can associate with increased body weight,” says Carter.The perception that nuts lead to weight gain undermines public health attempts to manage cardiovascular disease and obesity. 

“Nuts contain unsaturated fats – or healthy fats – which can improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation and contribute to a healthy heart.”

These findings prove that dieticians and nutritionists can recommend almonds as part of a balanced weight-loss diet.

Meanwhile, the Forager AI platform has identified 188 predicted bioactive and health-benefiting molecules in the classic ingredient. According to Brightseed, the newly discovered compounds could have significant impacts on mental wellness, immunity, metabolism and overall health.

Busting fat myths about nuts 
The study’s strength is that participants maintained their weight loss for six months with minimal dietary support, using real-world applicable methods. Almonds are rich in α-tocopherol, an antioxidant associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. It has high amounts of protein and is rich in arginine. 

The researchers observed macronutrient differences between the experiment groups, featuring an almond-enriched diet and a nut-free control diet, such as higher monounsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid intake. 

Despite many positive findings on the benefits of nut supplementation in Mediterranean, Portfolio, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diets, the widespread perception remains that eating nuts will increase weight and health risks associated with its high-fat content.  

The perception undermines public health calls for increased nut consumption to manage obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors. 

The current study contributes to the limited knowledge of the effects of nuts on lipoprotein subfractions. According to the researchers, future studies should consider the dose of almonds and its effects in populations with elevated cardiometabolic risk factors and lipoprotein subfractions should be included when profiling lipid and lipoprotein responses to dietary changes.

A study on active nutrition published in Frontiers in Nutrition shows that almonds might boost exercise recovery molecules by 69% among those who work out regularly. When comparing supplementing almonds and cereal bars, almonds stood out for muscle recovery for weekend athletes. 

Previous research by the Almond Board of California demonstrated how almond consumption helped improve crucial appetite-regulating hormones in adults who are overweight or obese.

In addition, almond consumption can lead to significant increases of butyrate – a form of beneficial short-chain fatty acid – resulting in beneficial changes to the gut microbiota’s functionality. 

By Inga de Jong