Nuts are high in unsaturated fats, fiber and micronutrients, and it has been suggested that they can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, a recent study examining the effect of nuts on insulin resistance and in patients with type 2 diabetes found that nuts may also increase weight.

Twenty people participated in the study by eating about 3 ounces of almonds a day for four weeks. Though the nuts did not substantially influence insulin sensitivity, body weight increased significantly, which may have affected changes in insulin sensitivity. Cholesterol, both good (HDL) and bad (LDL), decreased significantly after the four-week period.

In patients with diabetes, the increase in almonds did not alter blood sugar control.

The study suggests that in order to avoid weight gain, nuts must replace other sources of energy and fat in the diet.

American J Clinical Nutrition November 2002;76(5):1000-6

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I consistently find that overweight patients who find it difficult to lose weight are eating almonds or other nuts. It is one of the most common reasons why people cannot lose weight, or lose weight slowly, while following a low- or no-grain diet.

Like most whole foods, nuts can have important health benefits. However, they clearly need to be used sparingly if you are one of the 65 percent of Americans who are overweight.

Also, nuts are high in omega-6 fats so if you are not supplementing your diet with fish oils it is likely your omega 6:3 ratio is about 15:1 rather than the ideal 1:1.

So, for most Americans, almonds and most nuts are not wise to consume in large quantities.

If you are supplementing your diet with fish or cod liver oil and are of normal weight, nuts can be eaten in moderation. However, if you start to gain weight you might want to take this to mean that you are overdosing on them.

While this study was done with almonds, it is true for most all of the nuts. Walnuts do have omega-3 so they don’t upset the 6:3 ratio, but they still seem to have the same issue with weight gain.

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