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

The effects of nuts intake on cognitive and executive function in obese children: A randomized clinical trial. (Sheikhi et al, 2025).
In this randomised parallel clinical trial, ninety 8 to 10-year-old girls with obesity were divided into intervention (30 g of nuts/daily) and control groups (no nuts) for 8 weeks. At the end of the trial, the nut group had an improved total Wechsler score (assessing cognitive function) and total BRIEF score (assessing executive function), compared to the control group. And certain components of the Wechsler and BRIEF tests, including short-term memory and picture completion, were significantly improved in the nuts group, compared with control, after just 8 weeks.

Consumption of tree nuts as snacks stimulates changes in plasma fatty acid profiles and adipose tissue gene expression in young adults at risk for metabolic syndrome. (Widmer et al, 2025).
This 16-week randomised, parallel arm, dietary intervention study involved 84 young adults, aged 22-36 years. Most were either overweight or obese, and had at least one risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Twice daily, participants ate around 33.5g of mixed, unsalted tree nuts or carbohydrate-rich snacks. Both snacks provided the same energy, protein, fibre, and sodium, and were part of a weight maintenance plan. Results showed that replacing high-carbohydrate snacks with nuts improved dietary and plasma fatty acid profiles, suggesting this is an effective way to help protect against cardiometabolic disease, including metabolic syndrome.

Dietary nut and legume intake and risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. (Lopes et al, 2025).
This prospective cohort study involved 223,283 US-based adults, without inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at baseline. Food frequency questionnaires were used to calculate nut and legume intake. In over 5,460,315 person-years of follow-up, it found nut and legume intake was not associated with a higher risk of IBD. And people with overweight or obesity had a lower risk of Crohn’s disease (CD) with increased nut intake. In those with BMI ≥25, the adjusted hazards ratio for CD was 0.14 (95% CI, 0.03-0.56; P = .006) per additional serving/day of nuts.

Peanut oral immunotherapy in children with high-threshold peanut allergy. (Sicherer et al, 2025).
This trial randomly assigned 73 children, aged 4-14 years, and with high-threshold peanut allergy, to either peanut oral immunotherapy (P-OIT) using peanut butter, or to a peanut avoidance control. Those in the P-OIT started with daily dose of 1/8 teaspoon of peanut butter, which was gradually increased to a maximum of one tablespoon. After 16 weeks, an oral food challenge evaluated how much peanut butter the children could consume without an allergic reaction. All the children (100%) in the P-OIT group tolerated up to 9 grams of peanut protein (equivalent to 3 tablespoons of peanut butter), compared with only 10% of the control group.

Almond snacking modulates gut microbiome and metabolome in association with improved cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers. (Park et al, 2025).
Using a multi-omics approach, this study investigated how almond snacking counters gut imbalances linked to adiposity and an average American Diet (AAD). Fifteen adults with overweight or obesity took part in a randomised, crossover-controlled feeding trial, comparing a 4-week AAD with a similar isocaloric diet supplemented with 42.5 g/day of almonds. It found favourable, subtle changes in the gut environment, which correlated with improved metabolic and immunological health markers. Among the findings, almond snacking led to distinct and positive gut microbiome modulation, improved inflammatory markers, and stimulated appetite/satiety-regulating hormones.

Almond consumption for 8 weeks differentially modulates metabolomic responses to an acute glucose challenge compared to crackers in young adults. (Dhillon et al, 2025).
This 8-week trial, involving 73 young adults, looked at the differences in serum metabolites, and the underlying metabolic pathways involved, with eating 56g/day of almonds, compared with an isocaloric control (crackers). Twenty participants from each group underwent a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test after 8 weeks. Almond consumption led to distinct shifts in the body’s response to the glucose challenge. While more research is needed in this area, it suggests that, over time, almond consumption may provide the body with greater resilience to glycemic fluctuations.

Sustainable, planetary healthy dietary patterns are associated with lower 20-year incidence of cardiovascular disease: The ATTICA study (2002–2022). (Damigou et al, 2025).
This prospective cohort study examined data from 1,988 Greek adults, without cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline, who were followed over 20 years. It calculated participant’s adherence to the EAT-Lancet Reference Diet (EAT-LD) and the Mediterranean diet (Med Diet), and compared this with 20-year incidence of CVD. It found higher adherence to the EAT-LD and the Med Diet were associated with 17% and 10% lower risk, respectively, of developing a CVD event over the 20-year period. The findings highlight that diets that are good for planetary health, are also beneficial for humans, and vice-versa.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and obesity-linked cancer risk in EPIC. (Aguilera-Buenosvinos et al, 2025).
This prospective cohort study analysed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. It tracked 450,111 participants, with a mean age of 51 years, over a (median) of around 15 years. Dietary intake was collected at baseline, and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (Med Diet) categorised as low, medium, or high. It found high adherence to the Med Diet was linked with a 6% lower risk of obesity-related cancers, compared with low adherence. This inverse association was independent of adiposity measures (body mass index and waist to hip ratio).

The impact of plant-based proteins on muscle mass and strength performance: A comprehensive review. (López-Moreno et al, 2025).
This review paper suggests that, when derived from diverse sources and consumed in sufficient quantities, plant-based proteins can effectively support muscle protein synthesis and promote strength development. Further research is needed to assess the impact of plant-based diets on muscle mass and strength in elite athletes and older adults, particularly those at risk of sarcopenia. And long-term studies are needed for a more comprehensive understanding of the sustained effects of plant-based nutrition on these outcomes.

Impact of energy intake on the association between protein intake and the prevalence of frailty in older Korean adults: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2014–2018. (Kang et al, 2025).
This cross-sectional study included data of 5,768 adults aged ≥65 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014-2018). In older adults with sufficient energy intake, total protein (OR, 0.67), animal protein (OR, 0.59), and plant protein (OR, 0.68) intake were all inversely linked with frailty. In those with deficient energy intake, only plant protein intake was associated with a lower frailty prevalence. The findings highlight the potential role of both protein source and quantity in preventing frailty, but further research is needed in this area.

Optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging. (Tessier et al, 2025).
This study investigated the link between long-term adherence to eight healthy dietary patterns and aging over 30 years, using data from more than 105,000 middle-aged people. Among these patterns, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) showed the strongest association with healthy aging. Among the findings, participants adhering closest to the AHEI had an 86% greater likelihood of achieving healthy aging by age 70, compared to those with the lowest adherence. The results underscore the healthy ageing benefits of dietary patterns rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes, and some dairy products.

Association between the plant-based Mediterranean diet and neuropsychological distress of the breastfeeding mothers and their infants. (Taherpour et al, 2025).
This study involved 350 breastfeeding mothers and their infants, based in Iran. Results showed the mothers with the highest adherence to a Med Diet experienced better quality of life and sleep efficiency, and lower sleep disorders in their infants, than those with the lowest adherence. It did not find any correlations between Med Diet adherence and depression and anxiety levels in mothers. While it suggests a role for healthy dietary patterns, rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and fish, in lowering the risk of sleep problems in mothers and their infants, further research is needed in this area.

Comparison of changes in sterol content of nuts after roasting using conventional and microwave methods and after storage. (Kulik et al, 2025).
The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the roasting process (conventional and microwave methods) and long-term storage (12 months) on phytosterol content of nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, and shelled peanuts). In the studied nuts, five main types of phytosterols were identified: campesterol, stigmasterol, ß-sitosterol, delta 5-avenasterol and cycloartenol. Among the findings, roasting resulted in total sterol losses of 7.3 to 13.8%, with microwave roasting causing twice as much loss as conventional roasting. And the sterols contained in raw nuts were systematically lost over 12 months of storage. Depending on the type of nut, this ranged from about 6 to >20% of the initial amount.