The body of evidence about nuts and health continues to grow. These local and international research papers, published around January 2025, corroborate decades of research about the importance of a regular handful of nuts within a healthy diet.

Effects of longer-term mixed nut consumption on lipoprotein particle concentrations in older adults with overweight or obesity. (Nijssen et al, 2025).
This randomised controlled (cross-over) trial involved 28 older adults (aged 60-70 years), with overweight or obesity. All study participants completed two 16-weeks periods of either 60g/day of mixed nuts, or no nuts (control). These were separated by an 8-week washout period. It found significant improvements in blood lipid profiles with nut consumption, including beneficial changes in certain lipoprotein subclasses (such as VLDL) towards a less atherogenic profile. In addition, nut consumption did not significantly alter body weight or total energy intake.

Study of the association between diets containing nuts and seeds and the degree of abdominal aortic calcification. (Tucker, 2024).
This cross-sectional study looked at the under-studied link between nuts/seeds consumption and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) – a significant risk marker of atherosclerosis. It used NHANES data on nuts/seeds consumption, from 2,611 US-based adults, with a median age of 56 years, and compared this with the degree of AAC – classified as ‘none, mild, and moderate/severe’. Those with moderate/severe levels of AAC consumed significantly fewer nuts/seeds than those with no AAC (with this inverse relationship being dose-dependent), even after controlling for factors such as physical activity, and waist circumference.

Effect of premeal pistachio supplementation on cardiometabolic risk factors among Asian Indian adults with prediabetes: A randomized controlled trial. (Ashwini et al, 2024).
This 12-week trial, in Asian Indian people with pre-diabetes, found before-meal pistachios (30g pre-breakfast and 30g pre-dinner) improved measures of glycaemia, including glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) – and certain cardiometabolic risk factors (serum triglycerides and waist circumference). It also showed that adding 60g of pistachios to the daily diet did not adversely affect weight. And pistachios were able to fill several nutritional gaps in the Asian Indian diet. The study involved 109 adults, aged 25-50 years.

Cashew nut consumption reduces waist circumference and oxidative stress in adolescents with obesity: A randomized clinical trial. (de Oliveria et al, 2024).
This 12-week randomised trial, involved 87 adolescents with obesity, who were randomly assigned to receive either 30g of roasted cashews along with nutrition education, or only nutrition education (control group). After 12 weeks, the cashew group saw a significant reduction in waist circumference, compared with the control group. They also experienced less overall oxidative damage – a finding that the researchers say reinforces the benefit of cashew consumption against the systemic oxidative stress linked with obesity.

The impact of daily walnut consumption on gastrointestinal symptoms: A mixed-method study in healthy adults. (Chen et al, 2025).
This study, involving 60 healthy adults, explored the effects of walnuts on gut function. Over the three-week study period, participants were randomly assigned to eat 42g of walnuts daily, or no walnuts (control group). The researchers assessed gastrointestinal health using a gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS) and a qualitative questionnaire to collect participants’ perceived changes in GI symptoms. It found evidence for the beneficial effects of walnuts in promoting normal digestive function.

Correlation between intestinal microbiota and urolithin metabolism in a human walnut dietary intervention. (Liu et al, 2024).
This longitudinal study, involving 39 adults, investigated the impact of two ounces (around 56g) of walnuts per day, over 21 days, on intestinal microbiota and urine levels of urolithin. It found significant differences in the faecal microbial composition at the end of the intervention, compared to baseline. Among these differences, several genera were found to be significantly associated with urolithin metabolites. This suggests that walnut supplementation positively altered the gut microbiome and increased the amount of urolithin metabolites.

Comparing Australian children’s dietary intakes with the Eat-Lancet Commission Planetary Health Diet targets and Australian Dietary Guidelines: A cross-sectional study. (Samarathunga et al, 2024).
Using dietary data from Australia’s latest (2011–2012) National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, this cross-sectional study found that the diets of Australian children (aged 2-8 years) do not align with global and national dietary recommendations. Among the findings, the daily mean consumption of wholegrains, vegetables, nuts, and legumes were below the targets of both the EAT-Lancet Commission Planetary Health Diet, and the Australian Dietary Guidelines Foundation Diet.

Redefining protein quality: Integrating health outcomes and environmental impacts in the plant-animal protein debate. (Visioli, 2024).
This viewpoint article suggests greater consumption of plant protein sources, like legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, is linked with reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and mortality, especially compared to red and processed meats. Crucially, these health benefits align with dramatically lower environmental footprints of plant proteins, across measures including emissions, and water and land use. While more research is still required, the evidence to date seems to support that a dietary shift is needed for both human and planetary wellbeing.

Global adherence to a healthy and sustainable diet and potential reduction in premature death. (Gu et al. 2024).
This study evaluated long-term adherence to the Planetary Health Diet (PHD), using the Planetary Health Dietary Index (PHDI) and data from three large US cohorts – involving 206,404 adults, over 30 years of follow-up. The global average PHDI score was 85 out of 140, indicating suboptimal adherence. Researchers estimated that improving this score to 120 could prevent approximately 15 million deaths annually (27% of total deaths). The findings highlight the significant benefits of adopting healthy, sustainable diets and their potential contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.