The body of evidence about nuts and health continues to grow. These local and international research papers, published around August 2022, corroborate decades of research about the importance of a regular handful of nuts in a healthy diet.

Effect of nuts on components of metabolic syndrome in healthy adults with overweight/obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022).
This systematic review and meta-analysis, of 10 randomised controlled trials, sums up the evidence to date on the impact of nut consumption on components of metabolic syndrome, in healthy adults with overweight/obesity. It found incorporating nuts into the diet significantly reduced serum triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol. Nuts did not affect serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, glycaemic markers, and blood pressure.

Association between nut consumption and cancer risk: A meta-analysis. (2022).
The meta-analysis pooled the findings of 17 previously-published prospective studies on the relationship between nut intake and cancer risk and mortality. Among the findings, a 10g/day increase in total nut intake was linked with a 4% reduced risk of cancer and a 7% decrease in overall cancer mortality. And a 10g/day increase in tree nut consumption was linked with a 20% decrease in overall cancer mortality.

The role of nut and seed consumption in colorectal cancer: A narrative review. (2022).
This narrative review offers a broad perspective on the known effects of nut and seed consumption on colorectal cancer. It sums up the findings of eight papers, published between 2019 and 2022. The research is divided between those studies finding no significant link between nut consumption and colorectal cancer protection, and those which have. The authors say further research is needed in this area, including on the mechanisms behind the protective effect found in some studies.

Association of nut consumption with CVD risk factors in young to middle-aged adults: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. (2022).
This study involved 3,092 young adults, followed over 30 years. Dietary intake, including walnuts and other nuts, was assessed over time, as were cardiovascular disease risk factors. Compared to ‘no
nut’ consumers, walnut and other nut consumers had better quality diets (as assessed by higher HEI-2015 diet quality scores). Among the findings of this study, over 30 years of follow-up, walnut consumers had significantly lower BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels than other nut consumers.

Nut consumption and academic performance among adolescents: the EHDLA study. (2022).
A cross-sectional study, involving 846 Spanish adolescents (aged 12-17 years), looked at academic performance data from school records, and used a food frequency questionnaire to estimate nut consumption. Compared to no consumption, ≥ 3 nut servings (with a serving classed as 20-30g nuts) per week was consistently associated with higher academic performance. The researchers note that these cross-sectional results should be confirmed in longitudinal and intervention studies.

Peanuts as a nighttime snack enrich butyrate-producing bacteria compared to an isocaloric lower-fat higher-carbohydrate snack in adults with elevated fasting glucose: A randomized crossover trial. (2022).
This randomised crossover trial, involving 50 adults, examined the effect on gut microbiota composition of 28g/day of peanuts for 6-weeks, compared to an isocaloric lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate (LFHC) snack. Following peanut intake, Ruminococcaceae (a known butyrate producer, with a role in role in the maintenance of gut health) were significantly more abundant, compared to the LFHC snack. The researchers say this adds support for peanut-induced gut microbiome modulation.

Nuts as functional foods: Variation of nutritional and phytochemical profiles and their in vitro bioactive properties. (2022).
The study offers a summary of the nutritional (fat, fatty acids, minerals, sugars) and bioactive compounds (polyphenols, tocochromanols, triterpene) in nuts, and their influence on in vitro anti-diabetic (pancreatic α-amylase and intestinal α-glucosidase), anti-obesity (pancreatic lipase) and anti-cholinergic (AChE and BuChE) inhibitory activity. The researchers looked at eight nuts – pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, cashews, walnuts, and macadamia nuts. They conclude that nuts “should be one of the important components of the daily human diet’.

Walnut consumption and health outcomes with public health relevance: A systematic review of cohort studies and randomized controlled trials published from 2017 to present. (2022).
Human studies (10 cohort studies and 23 randomised controlled trials) ≥3 weeks in duration comparing consumption of walnuts (whole, pieces or 100% butter) to a control and measuring associations with relevant public health outcomes and disease risk markers were assessed. Among the findings, the evidence – published from 2017 – is consistent with previous research suggesting walnut consumption improves lipid profiles and is associated with reduced CVD risk.

Why should pistachio be a regular food in our diet? (2022).
This review outlines recent data on the most beneficial effects of pistachio on lipid and glucose homeostasis, endothelial function, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This essentially conveys a protective/preventive effect on the onset of conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular, and cancer. And the influence of pistachio consumption on gut microbiota is reviewed, with promising results.

The natural history of peanut and egg allergy in children up to age 6 years in the HealthNuts population-based longitudinal study. (2022).
This study looked into peanut and egg allergy in children over time, in the HealthNuts cohort (5,276 children recruited at 1 year of age, and followed prospectively). It found that most egg allergy and nearly one-third of peanut allergy resolves naturally by age 6 years. The prevalence of peanut allergy at age 6 years (3.1%) was similar to that at age 1 year, largely due to new-onset peanut allergy after age 1 year. The factors at age 1 year associated with persistence of peanut allergy were peanut skin prick test result of ≥8mm, sensitisation to tree nuts, and early-onset severe eczema.

Lower all-cause mortality for coronary heart or stroke patients who adhere better to Mediterranean diet – An NHANES analysis. (2022).
This analysis concluded that National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study participants, with a history of coronary heart disease or stroke, that better adhered to a Mediterranean-style diet had lower all-cause mortality during follow-ups. And among various components of the MED diet, intake of more whole grains or nuts was significantly associated with a lower all-cause mortality.