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

Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A modelling study. (2022).
Sustained change from a typical to an optimised diet from early age could translate into an increase in life expectancy of more than 10 years. Gains are reduced substantially with delayed initiation of changes, particularly when approaching the age of 80 years. An increase in the intake of legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and a reduction in the intake of red meat and processed meats, contributed most to these gains. Among the findings, consuming 25g nuts/day from 20 years of age could increase life expectancy by almost two years.

The regular consumption of nuts is associated with a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome in older people from the north of Spain. (2022).
This research found consumption of 30g (or around a handful) of nuts on ≥3 days per week was related to a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) an elderly population in northern Spain. Among 556 study participants, aged 65-79 years, a nut consumption lower than recommended was associated with a 19% higher prevalence of abdominal obesity and a 61% higher prevalence of MetS, compared to a consumption of ≥3 servings per week.

Probiotic peanut oral immunotherapy versus oral immunotherapy and placebo in children with peanut allergy in Australia (PPOIT-003): A multicentre, randomised, phase 2b trial. (2022).
This research showed that treatment with oral immunotherapy, with or without a probiotic, for childhood peanut allergy, can significantly improve quality of life in children, compared with current standard care, which is peanut avoidance. After 18 months of treatment, 46% and 51% of children who received the combination treatment or the oral immunotherapy alone, respectively, were in clinical remission, compared to 5% in the placebo group.

Effect of walnut predinner snack on mealtime hunger and nutrient intake among university students. (2022).
A pre-meal walnut snack alters planned eating behaviour and mealtime nutrient intake during a subsequent buffet-model meal. This study involved 36 young, healthy US-based university students. Among the findings, a 28g walnut snack 90 minutes before meal time reduced the perception of how much food the students wanted to eat at their next meal. Walnut consumption also led to a reduction in total ingested kilojoules, total fat and sodium, compared to control (no snack pre-dinner).

Protective effects of appropriate amount of nuts intake on childhood blood pressure level: A cross-sectional study. (2022).
This looked at the association between nut consumption and blood pressure among 15,268 Chinese-based children, aged 6-12 years. The children’s nut consumption fell into 4 groups: <35 g/day, 35-50 g/day, 50-100 g/day, and >100 g/day. Among the results, nut consumption of 50-100 g/day is the most beneficial dosage for modulating childhood blood pressure, in both boys and girls. The proportion of children who consumed this amount was the highest in the 8-9year age group.

Tree nut consumption and prevalence of carotid artery plaques: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study. (2022).
While tree nuts have been shown to be cardioprotective, limited studies have looked into the relationship between tree nut consumption and carotid atherosclerosis. This cross-sectional study analysed data from 4,536 US-based study participants (mean age of 52.3 years). It found no association between tree nut consumption and the prevalence of carotid artery plaques in adults. Further research is needed in this area.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with lower depressive symptoms among US adults. (2022).
This study examined the link between the Mediterranean diet (Med Diet) and depressive symptoms in a sample of 11,769 US-based adults. An ‘aMED’ score was used to determine adherence to a Med Diet. Those with the highest aMED score (indicating greatest adherence to a Med Diet pattern), had 45% lower odds of moderate to severe depressive symptoms, compared to those with the lowest aMED score. The researchers suggest this provides modest support of the Med Diet’s role in supporting positive mental health.