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

Nutrition professionals’ perceptions and practice recommendations related to nuts and nut butters. (Heiss et al, 2023).
This survey assessed theperceptions, of 167 US-based registered dietitian nutritionists and dietetic technicians, on the healthiness of nuts, and whether they recommend them. Overall, respondents believe that nuts are healthy and do not contribute to weight gain. Among the findings, 99% agreed that nuts are healthy. And while 88% agreed they were high in energy, 93% disagreed that adding nuts to the diet causes weight gain – and 84% agreed they could aid in weight loss. Seventy percent said that they recommend nuts.

Plant-based dietary patterns and Parkinson’s disease: A prospective analysis of the UK Biobank. (Tresserra-Rimbau et al, 2023).
This prospective cohort study, of 126,000 people who were tracked over almost 12 years, examined the link between three different plant-based diets and incidence of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Among the findings, participants in the highest ‘healthful plant-based diet index’ quartile had a 22% lower risk of PD, compared to the lowest quartile. And in food-based analyses, higher intakes of vegetables, nuts, and tea were associated with a lower risk of PD (28%, 31% and 25%, respectively).

Almonds vs. carbohydrate snacks in an energy-restricted diet: Weight and cardiometabolic outcomes from a randomized trial. (Carter et al, 2023).
This study assessed weight and cardiometabolic outcomes after a 3-month energy-restricted diet containing either almonds, or a carbohydrate-rich control snack (both making up 15% of participants’ energy intake), followed by 6 months of weight maintenance. Both the almond and control groups achieved comparable weight loss (82% lost ≥5% of their body weight). And the almond group had statistically-significant changes in certain lipoprotein sub-fraction concentrations, which may lead to improved cardiometabolic health in the longer term.

A 4-week pecan-enriched diet improves postprandial lipid peroxidation in aging adults. (Cogan et al, 2023).
In this 4-week randomised, parallel, controlled trial, 41 healthy adults (50-75 years) either consumed 68g of pecans/day, or avoided all nuts (control group). Across the intervention, there were no differences in fasting or postprandial total antioxidant capacity, glucose, or insulin for pecan versus control. But lipid peroxidation (assessed by changes in malondialdehyde) was reduced in the pecan group (but not the control group) at four weeks. The researchers say the findings suggest a one-month, pecan-enriched diet may help protect against post-meal oxidative stress.

Relationships between vegetarian or vegan diets and incidence of cardiovascular disease in the general population: An umbrella review of systematic reviews. (Raj et al, 2023).
This umbrella review, of four eligible systematic reviews, investigated the relationship between a vegetarian or vegan diet and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in healthy adults. Among the findings, a vegetarian diet was linked with a 15% reduced risk of CVD and a 21% reduced risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD), compared to non-vegetarians. The certainty of evidence was moderate due to risk of bias. It concluded that, in the general population, long-term adherence to a vegetarian diet, compared to a non-vegetarian diet, is associated with decreased CVD and IHD incidence.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risk of gastric cancer: A systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis. (Zhu et al, 2023).
This systematic review and meta-analysis included 11 observational studies, with a total of 1,366,318 participants and 5,708 cases of gastric cancer. It found that the highest adherence to the Mediterranean diet was linked with a 29% reduced risk of gastric cancer, compared with the lowest. And each 1-score increment in the ‘Mediterranean diet score’ was linked with a 5% lower risk of gastric cancer. The findings add to the current evidence that healthy dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean diet, offer a practical strategy in the prevention of gastric cancer.