Almonds could enhance your body’s defenses and bolster your cellular health, but you’ll lose all of these health benefits if the nuts are prepared in certain ways a new study has found
Almonds and other nuts have often been praised as an easy and healthy snack, but the true power of the nut is coming to light in a new scientific review. It looked at the health impacts of almonds and lead scientists to the ideal number of type of almond people should be eating fo the ultimate health benefits.
The scientists noted that 60 grams of almonds, around 46 nuts or half a cup, everyday could protect your cells and DNA from damage, lower inflammation and improve heart health. But all is lost if the nuts are prepared in certain ways.
Published in Scientific Reports, the review not only looked at how many almonds people should be eating each day for its health benefits but also compared the results between raw, roasted, blanched and unblanched options.
The researchers found that the best results came from whole, raw, unblanched almonds. This is because the skin of the almond holds a lot of its polyphenol and antioxidant content, which provides many of the health benefits.
As a result, blanching the nuts “virtually eliminates” these nutrients. Roasting was found to lower the antioxidant capacity by around 34 per cent, and cut down around 26 per cent of the polyphenol content.
Health benefits of eating 60 grams of almonds each day according to the study:
- Reduced oxidative damage
- Reduced cell membrane damage
- Reduced uric acid levels, which is linked to inflammation and health health
- Increased superoxide dismutase which helps the body defend against oxidative stress
The biggest health benefit from almonds across the eight clinical trials in the review was its ability to significantly reduce markers of cellular damage, manage oxidative stress. Although people eating less than 60grams a day didn’t see such significant effects.
Oxidative stress is an imbalance in your body that can cause cell damage according to Cleveland Clinic. It’s known to play a significant role in conditions like cancer through DNA damage, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s, inflammation and heart disease due to a build-up of plaque in the arteries.
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It can be influenced by a variety of factors like smoking, your environment and diet. Although 60 grams of almonds per day proved to be a significant help in managing oxidative stress, the experts noted that strict trials should be done to confirm the optimal dosage, duration and conditions of almond consumption to get its optimal health benefits.
This discovery may also promote almonds as a type of potential functional food. This category includes the likes of broccoli, sweet potatoes and carrots.
Alongside its antioxidant properties, almonds also hold other previously proven health benefits. Such as reducing the risk of heart disease, helping with blood sugar management and supporting gut health.
The small-but-mighty nut has some particularly high magnesium levels. The recommended daily magnesium intake is 420mg while 56g of almonds holds 153mg of magnesium as reported by Healthline.
This makes it especially useful for type two diabetics as magnesium helps manage blood sugar while the high protein and fibre content can reduce feelings of hunger while not adding many carbs to your daily intake.