- A new study finds that eating 56 grams of almonds daily, the equivalent of about 46 almonds, can improve gut health by promoting butyrate levels.
- The research involved three groups who replaced their regular snacks with whole almonds, ground almonds, or an equivalent energy-controlled muffin.
- The authors conclude that incorporating almonds into the diet could be a way to increase fiber intake without triggering intestinal symptoms..
We are still learning about the human microbiome, the 10–100 billion microorganisms living in our bodies, mainly in the human intestine. Piece by piece, researchers are breaking down how this vast and tiny universe works and how it influences our health.
An important player in gut health appears to be butyratea short-chain fatty acid that supports the health of the microbiome itself.
Dr Alice Creedon explained to Today’s medical news:
“Butyrate is important for intestinal health, as it acts as the main source of fuel for the cells of the colon, allowing them to function correctly and optimally. It is also involved in signaling to the gut to start the nutrient absorption process.”
“In addition,” Dr. Creedon said, “butyrate produced in the gut can enter the bloodstream where it is involved in regulating health in other areas of the body, such as the liver, brain, and lungs.”
Dr Credon is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Nutritional Studies at King’s College London. She is also the first author of a new study exploring the value of almonds as a means of supporting the microbiome’s supply of butyrate.
The study shows that eating a healthy handful of almonds every day promotes butyrate production.
it appears in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The research was funded by the California Almond Board.
Dr. Creedon’s research documents the benefits of eating about 56 grams or 2 ounces of almonds daily, which is equivalent to about 46 almonds.
“Butyrate supports the intestinal barrier, which prevents bacteria and other microbes from entering the blood. In doing so, butyrate can help reduce inflammationmanage conditions such as IBS [irritable bowel syndrome]and reduce gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating,” Allison Tallmana registered dietitian nutritionist, said MNT.
“Butyrate is produced through the fermentation of fiber in the colon. Therefore, increasing fiber in the diet, such as in almonds, increases butyrate levels, which has a positive effect on our gut health,” said Tallman.
Speaking of the nutritional value of almonds, Tallman further noted that:
“Almonds are packed with several nutrients in one serving, including 4 grams of fiber, 13 grams of ‘good’ unsaturated fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, and 50% of the daily value of vitamin E, and can be easily incorporated into our diet. diet in a variety of ways.”
However, these seeds do come with some environmental health warnings. According to data provided by the Almond Board of California in 2016, approximately 80% of the world’s almonds are grown in California.
The crop consumes a sizeable portion of the state’s annual water supply, a concern for some in light of recent weather conditions. A study 2019 found that growing an almond kernel requires about 12 liters of water.
Still, the same study found that while almonds require substantial amounts of water, “[i]Regarding dietary benefits, almonds were among the top three foods analyzed that provide the highest nutritional benefit per unit weight.”
Participants in the current study were 87 healthy adult men and women, ranging in age from 18 to 45 years. They themselves reported eating snacks regularly, at least two a day, and not following a moderate- or high-fat diet of more than the recommended 22 grams of fat per day.
For the study, the researchers divided the participants into three groups, differentiated by the food with which they replaced their usual snacks.
One group ate two 1-ounce servings of whole almonds each per day, while another group ate two 1-ounce servings of ground almonds per day. The final control group ate muffins that delivered an equivalent amount of energy to the body as almonds. The trial period was 4 weeks.
At the end of the trial, the researchers found that the almond groups had significantly higher levels of butyrate in their stool than the control group, 24.1 micromoles per gram instead of 18.2 micromoles per gram
There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of bowel symptoms, intestinal transit time (the amount of time it takes for food to travel in and out of the digestive system), or stool consistency.
Furthermore, all three groups had a similar abundance of fecal matter. bifidobacteriano obvious differences in the gut microbiota at the phylum level or in terms of diversity.
The study tracked the difference between eating whole or ground almonds in terms of butyrate production.
People who ate whole almonds had 1.5 times more bowel movements per week than those who ate ground almonds.
Dr. Creedon speculated as to why this might be the case: “Whole almonds differ from ground almonds in the amount of fat that reaches the colon. When we consume whole almonds, much of the fat escapes digestion and reaches the colon. By comparison, most of the fat in ground almonds is digested at the top. [gastrointestinal] tract.”
“It is possible,” Dr. Creedon noted, “that the increase in colonic fat in whole almond eaters served to increase ease of stool passage and increase stool weight. Both effects could increase the frequency of bowel movements in these people. There is little research on the impact of fat on stool frequency. Therefore, these findings require further investigation in future trials.”
Surprisingly, Dr. Creedon said, “[f]After chewing, ground almonds had significantly smaller particle size compared to chewed whole almonds.”
“When we plug the measured values of these particle size distributions of whole and ground almonds into a mathematical model that predicts the amount of fat released from chewed almonds during digestion, we found that the model predicted that ground almonds released significantly more fat. than whole almonds. ,” she added.
“These findings will be explained in more detail in another article that is being prepared for publication.”
