If you have found yourself suffering from gut-related health problems, then you are far from alone. Nearly 40% of adults deal with a functional gastrointestinal disorder, according to HCPLive. That could include heartburn and acid reflux to bloating or even irritable bowel syndrome. G.I. Alliance it also points out that 20 million people in the United States face chronic digestive diseases, while it is also the number one cause of hospitalization. That’s not to mention the time off work that becomes necessary and the pain that people end up trying to manage. Fortunately, a new study has found that eating a few almonds every day can help improve gut health.
This study, conducted by researchers at King’s College London, was published in the American journal of clinical nutrition and involved 87 adults, whose regular diet did not include an adequate amount of fiber but did include unhealthy snacks such as chocolate or potato chips. After dividing those involved into three groups, the researchers behind the study asked one group to ditch their normal snacks and instead eat 56 grams of almonds per day for a total of four weeks. The second group exchanged their snacks for the same number of almonds. However, in this case, they were ground nuts rather than whole. Finally, the third group did not swap almonds in their diet, but switched to muffins.
After the one-month period, the researchers found that participants who had switched to a daily almond snack of any kind had higher amounts of butyrate than those who ate muffins. They also found that eating almonds increased the amount of monounsaturated fatty acids, fiber and potassiumas well as additional nutrients.
“Part of the way the gut microbiota affects human health is through the production of short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate. These molecules act as a fuel source for colon cells and regulate the absorption of other nutrients.” in the gut — and help balance the immune system,” said lead author Professor Kevin Whelandirector of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London, said in a Press release. “We believe these findings suggest that almond consumption may benefit bacterial metabolism in a way that has the potential to influence human health.”
“The findings of this study were not surprising when comparing the intake of almonds with the intake of muffins (depending on the type of muffin), because almonds contain more fiber,” Paulina Lee, MSHS, RD, LDfunctional gut health dietitian and founder of Savvy Stummy, LLCHe says Eat this, not that! “Fiber is the main fuel that probiotics or our healthy gut bacteria use so they can create metabolites, like serotonin and butyrate.”
At the same time, Lee points out that “almonds aren’t the only way to get more butyrate.”
“Eating 30 different vegetables, including avocados, legumes, or other prebiotic foods per week, and including fermented foods, like kimchi and sauerkraut, can help you build a variety of gut bacteria,” Lee advises. “Then they can produce more butyrate and other beneficial metabolites for our body.”
Desiree O
Desirée O is a freelance writer who covers lifestyle, food and nutrition news, among other topics. Read more about Desiree
