Nut consumption aids in body fat distribution, improves gut health

Eating nuts appears to confer some benefits on a person’s body fat distribution and gut microbiota diversity and taxonomy, suggest the results a recent study.

In addition, “the microbial features related to high nut intake are associated with a favourable pattern of fat distribution,” according to the researchers. 

More than 2,200 Chinese adults in the Lanxi Cohort living in urban areas in Lanxi City, China, were analysed in this study. The research team assessed fat distribution using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and nut intake using food frequency questionnaires.

Stool samples from 1,724 participants underwent 16s ribosomal RNA sequencing. Researchers used linear regression and Spearman correlation in all analyses. They also conducted a validation study in 1,274 participants in the Lanxi Cohort.

Nut consumption showed a beneficial relationship with regional fat accumulation. In gut microbial analysis, high intake of nuts resulted in greater microbial α diversity.

Six genera were found to have a significant association with nut consumption. Furthermore, the abundance of genera Anaerobutyricum, Anaerotaenia, and Fusobacteriu significant correlated with fat distribution. Favourable associations were also noted between α diversity and fat distribution.

In the validation analysis, researchers found similar relationships between gut microbiota and fat distribution.

“We have shown that nut consumption is beneficially associated with body fat distribution and gut microbiota diversity and taxonomy,” the researchers said.