10 Proven Health Benefits of Almonds That You Need to Know About

Nutrients in almonds

Replacing snack foods with almonds or other tree nuts can significantly increase nutrient intake. A study has revealed adults and children replacing all their snacks with almonds increased their intake of good fats, protein, fiber and magnesium. The study participants also consumed less empty calories, saturated fats, and carbohydrates.

Almonds are an excellent source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They are also a great source of protein, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin E.

They also contain many antioxidants like the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol.

The antioxidants in almonds are found mostly in the skin, so blanched almonds wouldn’t be the healthiest choice.

Nuts are good sources of several nutrients. The health benefits that they provide have prompted recommendations to eat more of them. They are also high in fat and are energy dense, raising questions about nut consumption and weight gain or weight loss.

Almonds eaten as a snack in conjunction with a regular diet increases intake of several important nutrients. Including almonds in a diet can promote the natural exclusion of less nutritious foods. This in turn improves the entire nutritional quality of the diet.¹✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
DOI: 10.1079/BJN20041223

Almonds are considered the nut with the most nutrients, when compared ounce per ounce or calorie per calorie.  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans urge people to get the most nutrition possible out of the calories you eat.

1. Are almonds good for diabetes?

Research has shown that eating almonds can help type 2 diabetes patients maintain their blood glucose levels.

One study showed that eating 1 ounce of almonds immediately before a high-starch meal resulted in a 30% reduction in post-meal glucose levels for type 2 diabetes patients, in comparison to a 7% reduction for non-diabetics.

In another study, 137 people who had an elevated risk of diabetes were randomly assigned to eat 43g of almonds a day or no almonds for 4 weeks. People who ate the almonds felt less hungry and they had lower postprandial blood glucose levels.

Studies have also showed an inverse relationship between regular nut consumption and diabetes.

2. Are almonds fattening?

Research has proven that weight loss plans that include nuts show improved compliance and increased weight loss.  This suggests that nuts may be included in moderation in the diet.²✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
PMID: 18716179

One study has shown that almonds raise levels of the hormone cholecystokinin. Cholecystokinin is a peptide hormone which is associated with a satisfied feeling of fullness. Although almonds can leave both women and men stay feeling fullness, women can stay feeling full for a longer time.

According to other research, including almonds in a diet could promote the exclusion of less nutritious foods. This improves the entire nutritional quality of diet.

Another study revealed that supplementing a low calorie diet with almonds boosts weight loss. The almond supplemented diet was associated with a 62% bigger reduction in weight. There was also a 50% bigger reduction in waist circumference and a 56% bigger reduction in fat mass.³✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
PMID: 14574348

The monounsaturated fat present in almonds helps to satisfy the appetite and prevent overeating.

Although there are 22 grams of carbs per 100 grams of almonds, researchers have found out that almonds seem to help stop carbohydrates from being absorbed. They also stop their own fat from being absorbed, and also improve the satisfied feeling of fullness.

3. Are almonds good for cholesterol?

Research has established that eating a variety of heart healthy foods which includes almonds can help decrease LDL cholesterol levels as much as statin medication.

Study participants who consumed almonds reduced their LDL cholesterol by almost 7%.⁴✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
PMID: 21570268

4. Are almonds good for boosting energy?

Almonds are a good source of riboflavin, copper and manganese.

Riboflavin helps with production of red blood cells and releasing energy from carbohydrates.

Copper and manganese are components in an enzyme that stops free radicals in mitochondria. Mitochondria are where the cells produce energy.

5. Are almonds good for blood pressure?

Magnesium deficiency in is associated with blood pressure problems. Almonds are a good source of magnesium, which can help to lower blood pressure levels. A corrected magnesium deficiency can result in significant reductions in blood pressure.

Almonds are also a good source of potassium. Potassium is linked to lower blood pressure because it promotes vasodilation.

6. Are almonds good for Alzheimer’s?

The nutrients riboflavin and L-carnitine found in almonds have been shown to increase brain activity. These nutrients can help with the formation of new neural pathways and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. Almonds also contain substances that behave like cholinesterase inhibitors. Cholinesterase inhibitors are agents used to treat dementia in patients with Alzheimer’s

In an animal study, Alzheimer’s mice that ate an almond rich diet performed much better on memory tests compared to mice that ate a standard diet.⁵✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
PMID: 20871769

7. Are almonds good for heart health?

Four large scale studies have linked nut consumption to a lower risk for heart disease. People who eat nuts 5 times a week have about a 50% reduction in risk of heart attack.

Almonds are an excellent source of potassium, and regular potassium intake reduces risk of cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease.

8. Are almonds good for cancer?

Almonds are a source of a kind of vitamin E know as gamma-tocopherol, a powerful antioxidant that fights free radical damage and oxidative stress which are linked to cancer.

Numerous studies have found a nut consumption and reduced cancer risk association, which includes a reduced risk of breast, prostate and colon cancer. In one study, almonds prevented colon cancer in rats that were exposed to a colon cancer-causing agent.

9. Are almonds good for gallstones?

People who eat nuts frequently are 25% less likely to have a cholecystectomy. A cholecystectomy is a procedure to remove the gallbladder which is often performed as a result of gallstones.

The insoluble fiber content in almonds helps prevent gallstones by binding to bile acids in the gut and removing them from the body. The magnesium and calcium in almonds also binds to bile acids in the gut.

10. Are almonds good for bone health?

The magnesium and calcium found in almonds are two nutrients crucial to bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis.

One study has found that consumption of almonds inhibits the formation of bone-eating cells known as osteoclasts.⁶✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
PMID: 20947104

Where do almonds come from?

Almonds are thought to have originated in Asia. They have since Biblical times been cultivated in the Mediterranean, especially in Spain and Italy.

The U.S. supplies 88 % of worldwide almond production with most of it grown in California. Almonds are also grown in Turkey, Spain, Italy and Italy.