Among the dried fruits, almonds are the most popular in the world. They are highly nutritious and rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They are delicious to eat, but it turns out that they are good for improving health when it comes to the composition of gut microbes. This result comes from researchers at King's College.
When it comes to improving gut health, diet experts often suggest trying probiotic foods like yogurt and kimchi. However, there may be another food to add to this list – almonds.
Researchers from King's College London have investigated the impact of whole and ground almonds on the composition of gut microbes. They found that eating a handful of almonds each day significantly increased the production of butyrate, a fatty acid that promotes gut health.
" Part of the way the gut microbiota affects human health is through the production of fatty acids, such as butyrate," said lead author Professor Kevin Whelan. "These molecules act as a fuel source for cells in the colon. They regulate the absorption of other nutrients in the gut and help balance the immune system . "
For the study, the team recruited 87 healthy adults who were already eating less than the recommended amount of dietary fiber and who were consuming typical unhealthy foods. For four weeks, a third of the group changed their diet to 56 grams of whole almonds a day, a second third to 56 grams of ground almonds a day and the final third to muffins.
Therefore, the researchers found that butyrate was significantly higher in those who ate almonds, compared to those who consumed muffins.
" The testing showed that eating whole and ground almonds improved people's diets, with higher intakes of saturated fatty acids, fiber, potassium and other important nutrients compared to the control group," the authors added . .
The full results of the study have been published in the 'American Journal of Clinical Nutrition'.
