The body of evidence about nuts and health continues to grow. These local and international research papers, published around November 2023, corroborate decades of research about the importance of a regular handful of nuts within a healthy diet.

Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males. (Gu et al, 2023).
This study included 216,695 participants (81% females) from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), NHS II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Over 5,483,981 person-years of follow-up, there were 22,761 cases of type 2 diabetes. Among the findings, replacing one serving per day of total red meat with nuts and legumes was linked with a 30% lower risk of type 2 diabetes (HR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.74). The researchers say this emphasizes the importance of different alternative sources of protein for type 2 diabetes prevention.

Nuts and seeds consumption mitigates mortality risk in MAFLD: A comprehensive cohort analysis with optimal intake insights. (Chen et al, 2023).
This prospective cohort study involved 13,762 US-based study participants, from within the nationally-representative NHANES dataset, followed across a median of 9.6 years. Among the findings, nuts and seeds consumption was linked with a 15% reduced risk of all-cause mortality in people with metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) (HR, 0.85; 95%CI, 0.74–0.97). The suggested optimal consumption of nuts and seeds, linked with protection against all-cause mortality, was 3.5-4.0 ounces (100-115g) per day.

Association between nut consumption and low muscle strength among Korean adults. (Jun et al, 2023).
This cross-sectional study, among Korean adults, explored the link between nut consumption and low muscle strength – measured by hand-grip strength. Around one in four Korean adults were consuming nuts. Nut consumption was associated with lower risk of low muscle strength among older adults ≥65 years (men: OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.38, 0.79; women: OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.51, 0.93), but not younger (19-39 years) or middle-aged adults (40-64 years). It suggests that consuming nuts might be beneficial in lowering the risk of low muscle strength among Korean older adults.

Consuming almonds with chocolate or lettuce influences oral processing behaviour, bolus properties and consequently predicted lipid release from almonds. (Chen et al, 2023).
This study investigated the effect of adding foods (chocolate and iceberg lettuce) to almonds on oral processing behaviour, bolus properties and predicted lipid release. Among the findings, the addition of chocolate and iceberg lettuce to almonds significantly decreased chewing time and increased eating rate. Consuming almonds with lettuce led to significantly fewer and larger almond bolus particles, and significantly lower lipid bioaccessibility. It suggests that the food matrix, and consumption context, of plant foods, like nuts, impacts lipid bioaccessibility, and therefore actual metabolisable energy content.

The relationship between nut consumption and premature coronary artery disease in a representative sample of Iranians: Iran-premature coronary artery disease study (I-PAD). (Mohammadifard et al, 2023).
This multi-centre, case-control study explored the role of nut consumption on cardiovascular disease prevention at a young age, or premature coronary artery disease (PCAD). It involved 3,253 Iran-based men (<60 years of age) and women (<70 years). It found a significant inverse association between nut intake and the risk and severity of PCAD. Among the findings, the highest quartile of nut intake was associated with a substantial decreased risk of PCAD (OR = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.24, 0.43; P trend= 0.001), compared to the lowest quartile.

The nature of protein intake as a discriminating factor of diet sustainability: A multi-criteria approach. (Toujgani et al, 2023).
This paper reasons that dietary protein sources are an important factor in the sustainability of diets. It used data from a cohort of 29,210 French adults to identify five clusters, based on food-group contribution to protein intake: milk-based, meat-based, fast-food-based, healthy-fish-based, and healthy-plant-based. Among the findings, the healthy-plant-based and the healthy-fish-based clusters had the highest nutritional scores, lowest health risks, and lowest environmental impacts. The researchers say the nature of protein intake is a good discriminating factor of diet sustainability.

Mid-life adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and late-life subjective cognitive complaints in women. (Song et al, 2023).
This prospective cohort study found greater adherence to the DASH diet in mid-life was associated with ~20% lower odds of having ≥2 subjective cognitive complaints (a predictor for neurocognitive disorders) in later life. It involved 5,116 US-based women, with a mean age at baseline of 46.3 years – followed over an average (mean) of 32.6 years. A higher ‘DASH score’ was based on adherence to a dietary pattern defined by low intakes of red meat, sodium, sweets, and high intakes of fruits (including fruit juices), vegetables (excluding potatoes), legumes and nuts, low-fat dairy, and grains.

Portfolio diet score and risk of cardiovascular disease: Findings from 3 prospective cohort studies. (Glenn et al, 2023).
In this study, long-term adherence to the plant-based Portfolio dietary pattern was linked with a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including coronary heart disease and stroke, and a more favorable blood lipid and inflammatory profile. It involved participants from three large prospective cohort studies, without CVD at baseline, followed for up to 30 years. The Portfolio diet is low in foods rich in saturated fat and cholesterol, and encourages plant protein (legumes), nuts and seeds, viscous fibre sources, phytosterols, and plant monounsaturated fat sources.