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Some mornings, I get up and wonder: is there anything that nuts can not do? After all, they are the ultimate in nutrition. They have many advantages. Then I sit in my bed and draw up a list of what they can not do (reverse climate change, fight the plastic epidemic, go to the gym for me), but you know that there is never anything on the list? Weightloss! That's right – nuts can help lose weight and science can prove it.
A recent long-term observational study published in an online health journal BMJ found that people who substitute unhealthy foods for their diet with half a serving of nuts (about half an ounce) were able to avoid annual weight gain. In terms of context, the average American earns one pound or half a kilogram each year.
The study was conducted over a 20-year period and included nearly 290,000 people in three different groups: a group of male health professionals aged 40 to 75 and two groups of male and female Nurses from 24 to 55 years old. Very widespread, as they say.
The researchers asked participants to provide frequent updates throughout the study: everything from participants' weight and nut consumption to their physical activity was tracked with the accuracy of one's X-Acto knife. (If you're curious about every detail, you can see everything here.)
Overall, the researchers concluded that increased nut consumption was associated with lower weight loss in the long term and less likelihood of becoming obese. Specifically, the constant consumption of half a serving of nuts a day reduced by 23% the risk of taking five pounds or more (11 pounds or more) in four years. (Sorry the peanut butter experts, there have not been such results associated with an increase in PB absorption.)
Of all foods, however, nuts? They are not exactly the most obvious choice for a weight loss food of the year, given their high calorie content (but healthy!). In addition to satisfying our palate, is there another food that can be salty, creamy, nutty, and Crisp? – The fat content of nuts satiates, which means that we are more filled than a bag of pretzels, for example. The nuts also contain fiber, another nutrient admired for its fullness (biting my tongue, so I do not say full sense).
In other words, it makes sense to replace half an ounce of nuts with junk food in your diet, which would slow down or eliminate weight gain. Unhealthy foods tend to lack nutrients and can sometimes make us feel hungry more than we feel when we are fasting. Eating nuts keeps us satiated, which in theory leads us to eat less because we do not feel so hungry. Eating junk food, on the other hand, does not slow down our appetite and we risk eating more. Junk food also raises our blood sugar, which can often lead us to eat more food in general. That said, it should not be forgotten that the weight only comes off when the calories are insufficient, so eating very many nuts will only have the opposite effect. The extra calories lead to weight gain.
The conclusion of this study is that nuts are a healthy alternative to all the unhealthy foods you consume regularly, and their replacement could help you avoid gaining weight. This study does not establish the cause – but at this point, do we really need a cause to stop eating junk food?
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