Written by Tatjana Djakovic, Staff Writer. Assessed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005- 2010) of 14,386 survey participants demonstrated an association between tree nut consumption and dietary adequacy.
Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts) have been around since pre-historic times and provide a variety of nutritional benefits. The most well-known benefit of all tree nuts is their high content of heart healthy fats known as mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), while being cholesterol-free. They are also a rich source of fiber, vegetable protein, vitamins E and K as well as minerals such as magnesium, copper, potassium and selenium 1. Previous studies have demonstrated a substantial health benefit to consumers of tree nuts and all nuts including peanuts – a legume 2.
However, the assessment of nutrient quality in previous studies lacked in certain areas. For instance, older data sets used a single 24-hour dietary recall, therefore, usual intake could not be calculated 3. In addition, some studies only used tree nut consumed out of a hand, rather than including nuts in such foods as breads, cereals and muffins 4.
In the National Health and Examination Survey, participants completed two 24-hour dietary recalls, which are interviews conducted in person and via telephone 3 to 10 days later 5. Diet quality was assessed using the total Healthy Index (HEI)-2005 score 6, which is a measure of diet quality developed by USDA- U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In this recent national survey 7 consisting of 14,386 adults, diet quality of nut consumers was evaluated over the 5-year period 2005-2010 compared to those of non-tree nut consumers. The data was presented in percentages of consumption below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR). There were significant differences between consumers and non-consumers of tree nuts:
| Plasma Blood Levels | Before Load | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Ornithine (nmol/mL) | ||
| L-ornithine | 52.5 +/- 9.5 | 74.3 +/- 11.9 |
| Placebo | 47.832 +/- 8.8 | 44.8 +/- 8.6 |
| Alanine | ||
| L-ornithine | 349.1 +/- 69.8 | 309.2 +/- 42.1 |
| Placebo | 390.3 +/- 90.5 | 289.6 +/- 55.9 |
| Urea | ||
| L-ornithine | 4625.4 +/- 1355.5 | 4473.4 +/- 1185.2 |
| Placebo | 4261.9 +/- 967.6 | 4003.2 +/- 879.8 |
(For all nutrients p<0.001)
There were some nutrients that exceeded the required amount:
Table 1 - Recommended daily intakes of calcium and vitamin D (mg/d)| Age Range | Calcium | Vitamin D |
|---|---|---|
| Infants 6 to 12 months | 260 mg | 400 IU |
| 1 - 3 years old | 700 mg | 400 IU |
| 19 - 50 years old, pregnant/lactating | 1,000 mg | 600 IU |
| 19 – 50 years old | 1,000 mg | 600 IU |
| 51 – 70 years old | 1,200 mg | 600 IU |
| 71+ years old | 1,200 mg | 800 IU |
(For all nutrients p<0.001)
Assessed diet quality was significantly higher in tree-nut consumers (61.2 ± 0.7 vs. 52.4 ± 0.3) compared to non-tree nut consumers (p < 0.0001). In addition, component scores for total fruit (p = 0.0002), whole fruit (p = 0.0002), dark green and orange vegetables and legumes (p = 0.0002), meat and beans (p < 0.0001), whole grains (p = 0.0041), sodium (p < 0.0001), and solid fat, alcohol, and added sugars kilocalories (p < 0.0001) were all higher in tree nut consumers compared with non-tree nut consumers while component score of total grains was lower (p < 0.0001) in tree nut consumers than in non-consumers.
In all the nutrients assessed, the tree nut consumers had a significantly lower EAR than non-tree nut consumers. In addition, the total score for Healthy Eating Index -2005 was 9% higher in tree nut consumers compared to non-consumers of tree nuts (p< 0.0001) 7.
This study showed that tree nut consumption was associated with better diet quality and nutrient adequacy than was evident in the non-tree nut consumers. The strengths of this study include that it is encompassed a large, recent, nationally represented sample of several data sets of the percentage of the population who were below recommended nutrient levels in tree nut and non-tree nut consumers. However, the 24-hour dietary recall is subject to error, because it relies upon participants’ memory. In addition, the participants may not have differentiated between tree nuts and ground nuts (such as peanuts) and supplement intake was not considered in the study.
The authors recommend that health professionals, particularly dieticians, play an active role in nutritional education programs geared to increased awareness of the health benefits of tree nut consumption.
Source: O’Neil, Carol E., and Theresa A. Nicklas. “Tree nut consumption is associated with better nutrient adequacy and diet quality in adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2010.” Nutrients 7, no. 1 (2015): 595-607.
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Posted July 25, 2017.
References:
- USDA. USDA Food Composition Databases. 2017; Database of food item, food group, or manufacturer’s name to find the nutrient information for your food items. You can also generate lists of foods sorted by nutrient content. In addition, data from the following Special Interest Databases will be shown along with the corresponding food items from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Available at: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/. Accessed July 24, 2017, 2017.
- King JC, Blumberg J, Ingwersen L, Jenab M, Tucker KL. Tree nuts and peanuts as components of a healthy diet. The Journal of nutrition. 2008;138(9):1736S-1740S.
- Dodd KW, Guenther PM, Freedman LS, et al. Statistical methods for estimating usual intake of nutrients and foods: a review of the theory. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2006;106(10):1640-1650.
- O’Neil CE, Keast DR, Nicklas TA, Fulgoni VL. Out-of-hand nut consumption is associated with improved nutrient intake and health risk markers in US children and adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004. Nutrition research. 2012;32(3):185-194.
- Blanton CA, Moshfegh AJ, Baer DJ, Kretsch MJ. The USDA Automated Multiple-Pass Method accurately estimates group total energy and nutrient intake. The Journal of nutrition. 2006;136(10):2594-2599.
- Guenther PM, Reedy J, Krebs-Smith SM, Reeve BB. Evaluation of the healthy eating index-2005. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2008;108(11):1854-1864.
- O’Neil CE, Nicklas TA. Tree nut consumption is associated with better nutrient adequacy and diet quality in adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2010. Nutrients. 2015;7(1):595-607.
