Research Focus, The Health Benefits of Nuts and Seeds

Alastair Hunt
1 day ago
6 min read

For optimal health, we advocate a plant based / plant forward diet. And yes, we also eat meat, fish and enjoy a decent cocktail. It is the overall balance of foods that matter, to support a healthy body and mind. Beans, legumes and lentils provide health benefits and should be part of every diet, notwithstanding any sensitivities.

As we often get asked 'Why?' and sometimes even called out on our position, here is a collection of studies (meta analyses - studies of multiple studies) that inform our thinking. Importantly, what does the totality of the evidence say?

As ever, please talk to your doctor or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle, especially if you are under treatment.

Liu M, Wang M, Fu X, He X, Wang M, Su Y, Liu G, Hu F, Zhang M, Zhao Y, Hu D. Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease events and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Arch Cardiovasc Dis. 2026 Mar;119(3):216-232. doi: 10.1016/j.acvd.2025.08.010. Epub 2025 Sep 19. PMID: 41350177.

Musa-Veloso K, Gauntlett C, Geronimo K, Vicente I, Ho SPL. Blood Lipid Levels in Response to Almond Consumption: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2025 Aug 28;17(17):2791. doi: 10.3390/nu17172791. PMID: 40944180; PMCID: PMC12430622.

Vajdi M, Seyedhosseini-Ghaheh H, Hassanizadeh S, Mostafavi N, Khajeh M, Pourteymour Fard Tabrizi F, Askari G. Effect of sesame supplementation on body composition and lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024 Apr;34(4):838-849. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.01.020. Epub 2024 Jan 22. PMID: 38316576.

Karimi M, Pirzad S, Shirsalimi N, Ahmadizad S, Hashemi SM, Karami S, Kazemi K, Shahir-Roudi E, Aminzadeh A. Effects of chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) supplementation on cardiometabolic health in overweight subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2024 Sep 16;21(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s12986-024-00847-3. PMID: 39285289; PMCID: PMC11406937.

Cardoso BR, Fratezzi I, Kellow NJ. Nut Consumption and Fertility: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Adv Nutr. 2024 Jan;15(1):100153. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.100153. Epub 2023 Nov 17. PMID: 37977328; PMCID: PMC10704322.

Houston L, Probst YC, Chandra Singh M, Neale EP. Tree Nut and Peanut Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Adv Nutr. 2023 Sep;14(5):1029-1049. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.05.004. Epub 2023 May 5. PMID: 37149262; PMCID: PMC10509427.

Arnesen EK, Thorisdottir B, Bärebring L, Söderlund F, Nwaru BI, Spielau U, Dierkes J, Ramel A, Lamberg-Allardt C, Åkesson A. Nuts and seeds consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and their risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Food Nutr Res. 2023 Feb 14;67. doi: 10.29219/fnr.v67.8961. PMID: 36816545; PMCID: PMC9930735.

Xi H, Zhou W, Sohaib M, Niu Y, Zhu R, Guo Y, Wang S, Mao J, Wang X, Guo L. Flaxseed supplementation significantly reduces hemoglobin A1c in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Res. 2023 Feb;110:23-32. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2022.12.008. Epub 2022 Dec 27. PMID: 36640581.

Hadi A, Asbaghi O, Kazemi M, Haghighian HK, Pantovic A, Ghaedi E, Abolhasani Zadeh F. Consumption of pistachio nuts positively affects lipid profiles: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(21):5358-5371. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2021.2018569. Epub 2021 Dec 21. PMID: 34933637.

da Silva A, Silveira BKS, de Freitas BVM, Hermsdorff HHM, Bressan J. Effects of Regular Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K.) Consumption on Health: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials. Foods. 2022 Sep 19;11(18):2925. doi: 10.3390/foods11182925. PMID: 36141050; PMCID: PMC9498495.

Balakrishna R, Bjørnerud T, Bemanian M, Aune D, Fadnes LT. Consumption of Nuts and Seeds and Health Outcomes Including Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Metabolic Disease, Cancer, and Mortality: An Umbrella Review. Adv Nutr. 2022 Dec 22;13(6):2136-2148. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmac077. PMID: 36041171; PMCID: PMC9776667.

Godos J, Giampieri F, Micek A, Battino M, Forbes-Hernández TY, Quiles JL, Paladino N, Falzone L, Grosso G. Effect of Brazil Nuts on Selenium Status, Blood Lipids, and Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Feb 16;11(2):403. doi: 10.3390/antiox11020403. PMID: 35204285; PMCID: PMC8869304.

Brown R, Ware L, Tey SL. Effects of Hazelnut Consumption on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Acceptance: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 1;19(5):2880. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19052880. PMID: 35270573; PMCID: PMC8910742.

Parilli-Moser I, Hurtado-Barroso S, Guasch-Ferré M, Lamuela-Raventós RM. Effect of Peanut Consumption on Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Randomized Clinical Trial and Meta-Analysis. Front Nutr. 2022 Apr 1;9:853378. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.853378. PMID: 35433776; PMCID: PMC9011914.

Ojo O, Wang XH, Ojo OO, Adegboye ARA. The Effects of Almonds on Gut Microbiota, Glycometabolism, and Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2021 Sep 26;13(10):3377. doi: 10.3390/nu13103377. PMID: 34684378; PMCID: PMC8539485.

Liu X, Guasch-Ferré M, Drouin-Chartier JP, Tobias DK, Bhupathiraju SN, Rexrode KM, Willett WC, Sun Q, Li Y. Changes in Nut Consumption and Subsequent Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among US Men and Women: 3 Large Prospective Cohort Studies. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 Apr 7;9(7):e013877. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.119.013877. Epub 2020 Apr 1. PMID: 32233756; PMCID: PMC7428648.

Hadi A, Askarpour M, Ziaei R, Venkatakrishnan K, Ghaedi E, Ghavami A. Impact of flaxseed supplementation on plasma lipoprotein(a) concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytother Res. 2020 Jul;34(7):1599-1608. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6640. Epub 2020 Feb 19. PMID: 32073724.

Nowrouzi-Sohrabi P, Hassanipour S, Sisakht M, Daryabeygi-Khotbehsara R, Savardashtaki A, Fathalipour M. The effectiveness of pistachio on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2020 Sep-Oct;14(5):1589-1595. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2020.07.052. Epub 2020 Aug 10. PMID: 32947760.

Long J, Ji Z, Yuan P, Long T, Liu K, Li J, Cheng L. Nut Consumption and Risk of Cancer: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2020 Mar;29(3):565-573. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-19-1167. Epub 2020 Feb 10. PMID: 32041895.

Ntzouvani A, Antonopoulou S, Nomikos T. Effects of nut and seed consumption on markers of glucose metabolism in adults with prediabetes: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Br J Nutr. 2019 Aug 28;122(4):361-375. doi: 10.1017/S0007114519001338. PMID: 31196252.

Mohammadi-Sartang M, Bellissimo N, Totosy de Zepetnek JO, Bazyar H, Mahmoodi M, Mazloom Z. Effects of walnuts consumption on vascular endothelial function in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2018 Dec;28:52-58. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2018.07.009. Epub 2018 Sep 1. PMID: 30390893.

Other

Bhandari B, Liu Z, Lin S, Macniven R, Akombi-Inyang B, Hall J, Feng X, Schutte AE, Xu X. Long-Term Consumption of 10 Food Groups and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Systematic Review and Dose Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Adv Nutr. 2023 Jan;14(1):55-63. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2022.10.010. Epub 2022 Dec 22. PMID: 36811594; PMCID: PMC10102997.

Wang Y, Liu B, Han H, Hu Y, Zhu L, Rimm EB, Hu FB, Sun Q. Associations between plant-based dietary patterns and risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality - a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr J. 2023 Oct 4;22(1):46. doi: 10.1186/s12937-023-00877-2. Erratum in: Nutr J. 2024 Jan 4;23(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s12937-023-00891-4. PMID: 37789346; PMCID: PMC10548756.

Neuenschwander M, Stadelmaier J, Eble J, Grummich K, Szczerba E, Kiesswetter E, Schlesinger S, Schwingshackl L. Substitution of animal-based with plant-based foods on cardiometabolic health and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMC Med. 2023 Nov 16;21(1):404. doi: 10.1186/s12916-023-03093-1. PMID: 37968628; PMCID: PMC10652524.

Learn More about Whole Food Groups

Final Thoughts

A whole food focused diet matters. And this does not mean having to give up meat, fish, dairy or your favourite desert. Just add a little more of what really counts, a few times per week.

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