Nuts are a nutrient- and energy-dense food, and while their health benefits have been recognized, recommendations regarding their consumption have historically been with a caveat that they can contribute to weight gain. However, most epidemiological studies do not find an association between nut consumption and weight gain. To better understand the role of nuts in maintaining a healthy body weight, we developed an approach to measure the energy value of nuts in humans, and then compared these data with the calculated energy content of nuts. We found that the measured energy content of nuts (cashews, pistachios, almonds, and walnuts) is between 6% and 25% lower than the calculated energy value. The reduced energy content is likely due to the plant cell wall limiting availability of energy. We have also investigated the effect of nut consumption on microbiota and microbially-derived compounds and how these may reduce disease risk.
Dr. David J. Baer, Ph.D., is a Supervisory Research Physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center located in Beltsville, Maryland, USA. He serves as the Research Leader for the Center’s Food Components and Health Laboratory. Dr. Baer conducts controlled dietary intervention studies to investigate the relationship between diet and the risk for chronic degenerative diseases, especially cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes in people. He has investigated the role of dietary patterns, individual foods, food components, and food processing including different types of protein, fats and fatty acids, fiber, margarine, butter, plant sterols, salad dressings, meat, whole grains, pulses, berries, alcohol, tea, and of course nuts. In addition to dietary intervention studies, Dr. Baer is involved in research studies to validate food survey methodologies and to develop new methods for dietary assessment.
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