The Study
Association of Tree Nut Consumption with Cardiovascular Disease and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Health Outcomes in US Adults: NHANES 2011–2018
This study looked at what people ate and how healthy they were at the same time, like taking a snapshot. It found that people who ate tree nuts tended to be healthier, but we don’t know if the nuts made them healthy or if healthy people just chose to eat nuts. So it shows a connection, not proof that nuts cause better health.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
People who eat a small handful of nuts like almonds or walnuts every day tend to have healthier hearts and less belly fat than those who don’t.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These changes are small but consistent — like losing a little belly fat or slightly improving blood sugar, which over time could lower heart disease risk.
- 2Nut eaters had 9% less obesity, 5.3 mg/dL higher 'good' cholesterol (HDL), 3.5 mg/dL lower ApoB (a bad fat marker), and 1.4 cm smaller waistlines.
- 3Eating more nuts (33.7g vs 7g/day) lowered BMI by 0.49 and HbA1c by 0.04%.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Current Developments in Nutrition
Year
2023
Authors
Stephanie M. Lopez-Neyman, Namvar Zohoori, K. S. Broughton, D. Miketinas
Related Content
Claims (10)
People who eat whole nuts have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease compared to those who do not, but their risk of stroke is not lower.
U.S. adults who eat about 33.7 grams of tree nuts per day have, on average, 1.42 centimeters less waist circumference than those who eat about 7.09 grams per day, even when accounting for other lifestyle habits.
US adults who eat at least 7.09 grams of tree nuts daily have a 9 percentage point lower rate of obesity and 1.42 cm smaller waist circumference than those who do not eat tree nuts, even when accounting for age, income, education, and lifestyle.
Adults in the US who eat tree nuts have lower rates of low HDL cholesterol and higher average HDL cholesterol levels than those who do not eat tree nuts.
U.S. adults who eat about 33.7 grams of tree nuts daily have, on average, a slightly lower body mass index and slightly lower blood sugar levels than those who eat about 7.09 grams daily, after accounting for age, lifestyle, and other factors.
U.S. adults who eat tree nuts have a lower rate of low HDL cholesterol and higher average HDL cholesterol levels than those who do not eat tree nuts.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.