Almonds, hazelnuts, cashews… Including nuts in calorie-controlled weight loss diets does not hinder weight loss and could even have the opposite effect.
- None of the studies reviewed by Australian researchers showed negative effects on weight loss when nuts were included in the diet.
- Conversely, when people ate almonds, peanuts, pistachios or walnuts as part of a diet, they lost more weight (1.4 to 7.4 kg).
- “Nuts are rich in healthy unsaturated fats, plant protein and dietary fiber, all of which play a role in promoting satiety and reducing excess calorie consumption,” the authors say.
Low-calorie diets promote weight loss and improve body composition and blood sugar control. “Nut consumption also improves these elements. However, less is known about the combined benefits of these two strategies,” said researchers from the University of South Australia in Adelaide. That’s why they decided to conduct a study in which they wanted to evaluate the effects of low-calorie diets with or without nuts on body mass, body composition and blood sugar control in adults.
Weight loss: nuts may have appetite suppressant properties
In detail, the scientists reviewed seven randomized controlled trials that measured weight changes and blood sugar control in restrictive diets. “Energy restriction was achieved by prescribing a fixed energy goal or reducing intake relative to daily energy requirements. Interventions lasted 4 to 52 weeks and contained 42 to 84 g of almonds, peanuts, pistachios, or walnuts per day,” can be read in the works.
The results, published in the journal Nutrition Research Reviewsshowed that people who ate 42 to 84 g of nuts as part of a restricted diet lost significantly more weight than those who followed an energy-restricted diet without walnuts, almonds, peanuts or pistachios. Nut-enriched diets led to an additional 1.4 to 7.4 kg of weight loss, which may be related to nuts’ ability to effectively suppress hunger.
“Nuts are associated with better cardiovascular and metabolic health”
“People often avoid nuts when trying to lose weight because they think their energy and fat content can contribute to weight gain. But in reality, nuts are rich in healthy unsaturated fats, plant-based protein, and dietary fiber, all of which play a role in promoting satiety and reducing excess calorie consumption. Nuts are associated with better cardiovascular and metabolic health, better gut health, and improved cognitive performance,” has explained Alison Coatesco-author of the research.
