Yes, people with diverticular disease can eat nuts. A systematic review of the available evidence, published in 2025, concluded that nuts should be included within a balanced, fibre-rich diet, for people at risk of, or living with, diverticular disease (1).

A recent evidence review found no evidence that eating nuts increases the risk of diverticulosis or diverticulitis (1).

Historical guidance is now outdated

Guidelines from the 1970s, which were largely based on anecdotal observations or isolated case reports, recommended that people with diverticular disease avoid certain foods, including nuts, seeds and corn, for fear that these foods would get ‘stuck’ in the diverticula (or tiny ‘pockets’ within the bowel wall) and inflame the bowel.

More robust, recent research challenges these early recommendations (1-4).

The turning point came in 2008 with the publication of a prospective cohort study (the Health Professionals Follow-up Study), which included more than 47,000 men aged 40–75 years, who were tracked over 18 years.

This found no correlation between the consumption of nuts, corn, or popcorn and an increased risk of diverticulosis or diverticular bleeding. In fact, higher nut and popcorn consumption were linked with a decreased risk of diverticulosis.

What does modern-day evidence tell us?

A 2025 review, of nine articles (together involving around 880,000 participants), found that: “The weight of evidence points to a neutral or modestly protective role for nuts” while showing “no adverse effect on diverticulitis incidence’.

Specifically, it concluded that:

• In studies that directly measured nut intake, none reported an increase in diverticular disease risk with nut consumption.
• When nuts are embedded within an overall healthy dietary pattern, there’s a significant risk reduction in diverticular disease.
• Dose-response modelling showed a 5% reduction in risk with every additional weekly serving of nuts.
• And the dose-response analysis showed no evidence of a threshold (or tipping point) above which nut consumption becomes hazardous for diverticular outcomes.

Consuming ≥2 handfuls of mixed nuts per week may prevent up to 6-7% of diverticulitis cases in low-intake groups (those currently consuming nuts less than once a month) (1).

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) no longer recommends the avoidance of nuts and seeds in its clinical updates, and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) explicitly states that there is no evidence to support dietary restrictions of these foods in people with diverticular disease.

In fact, avoiding nuts may even be counterproductive (1).

This is because nuts are a valuable source of dietary fibre, which is important in managing diverticular disease. Nuts also offer anti-inflammatory nutrients and bioactive compounds, and eating nuts generates short-chain fatty acids, with benefits to the gut microbiota, which in turn has been linked with gut cell wall integrity.

Further research into these mechanisms is required.

Did you know? A large study (4), involving 29,916 women, without diverticulitis at the start of the study, found that following a healthy diet was associated with a reduced risk of diverticulitis. Similarly, consumption of nuts and seeds was not associated with diverticulitis risk.