Almond Board :: Research Shows Almonds Can Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Research Shows Almonds Can Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Experts say almonds are one of the foods that you should eat every day because of the tremendous health benefits they have to offer. Still, many people shun almonds because they think that they are fattening. However, mounting scientific research shows that adding almonds to your diet may help you keep off unwanted pounds or potentially lose weight.

Almonds contain monounsaturated fats, the so-called good kind, which have been found to help lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease. Almonds also offer half of the vitamin E you need each day, along with protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous and iron, all in 160 calories per serving.

The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans – healthy eating advice from the federal government that is updated every five years – urge Americans to consume nutrient-dense foods like almonds because of their nourishing qualities.

Last spring, researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, found that adding nearly two servings of almonds a day to people’s diets had no effect on their body weight or percentage of body fat. A serving is one ounce of nuts or about 23 almonds. The study found that people who ate almonds naturally cut calories from other foods so they didn’t consume extra calories or gain weight.

“We found it to be remarkable that participants naturally compensated for the added calories from almonds in their diet,” said study author James Hollis, PhD. “Our early hypothesis is that the fiber and protein found in almonds may contribute to greater satiety, which in turn helps people maintain their body weight.”

Other almond studies have had similarly favorable results. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2003 found that people who ate almonds as part a low-calorie diet lost more weight over a six- month period than people on a low-fat diet that had the same amount of calories.

Researchers say additional studies are needed.