How Eating Nuts Can Help You Lose Weight

Several large observational studies have found that more frequent nut consumption is associated with a lower body weight (12, 13, 21, 22).

It’s not clear why this is, but it may be partly due to the healthier lifestyle choices of those who eat nuts.

However, human studies show that including nuts as part of a weight loss diet does not hinder weight loss. In fact, it often boosts weight loss (23, 24, 25, 26, 27).

For example, one study of 65 overweight or obese individuals compared a low-calorie diet supplemented with almonds to a low-calorie diet supplemented with complex carbs.

They consumed equal amounts of calories, protein, cholesterol and saturated fat.

At the end of the 24-week period, those on the almond diet had a 62% greater reduction in weight and BMI, 50% greater reduction in waist circumference and 56% greater reduction in fat mass (23).

In other studies, calorie-controlled diets containing nuts resulted in a similar amount of weight loss as a calorie-controlled, nut-free diet.

However, the group consuming nuts experienced improvements in cholesterol, including a reduction in “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. This benefit was not experienced by those consuming the nut-free diets (26, 27).

Summary:

Regularly eating nuts as part of a weight loss diet can boost weight loss and improve cholesterol.