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Review
. 2024 Feb 7:68.
doi: 10.29219/fnr.v68.10483. eCollection 2024.

Nuts and seeds - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Lars T Fadnes  1   2 , Rajiv Balakrishna  1
Affiliations
Review

Nuts and seeds - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Lars T Fadnes et al. Food Nutr Res. .

Abstract

Background: Nuts and seeds have been part of diets in most of the world for millenniums, and they have also been consumed in the Nordic and Baltic countries for centuries. Consumption of nuts and seeds is linked with various health outcomes. Therefore, when updating the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR), summarizing the best evidence on key health outcomes from the consumption of nuts and seeds is essential.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the updated evidence on the consumption of nuts and seeds and health outcomes regarded relevant for the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as their dose-response relationship presented in updated systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Method: The scoping review is built on a de novo systematic review and an umbrella review published in 2022 on the consumption of nuts and seeds and its various health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Results: Intake of nuts and seeds is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, with evidence assessed as probable. This conclusion is mirrored by evidence from trials on biomarkers for chronic diseases. An intake of a serving of nuts of 28-30 g/day compared to not eating nuts is estimated to translate into approximately 20% relative reduction in the risks of cardiovascular disease and premature deaths. For cancers, consumption of a serving of nuts is inversely associated with cancer mortality. However, for type 2 diabetes, there are mixed and inconclusive results. Additionally, there are inverse associations between nut consumption and respiratory and infectious disease mortality. Allergies for nuts are seen among 1-2% of the population.

Conclusion: Overall, the current evidence supports dietary recommendations to increase nut consumption to a serving of nuts and seeds per day for people without allergies to these foods.

Keywords: dietary guidelines; nuts; peanuts; seeds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have not received any funding or benefits from industry to conduct this study, and report no conflicts of interests. The authors received a small reimbursement from the Norwegian Directorate of Health for work linked to this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Summary of associations from the most comprehensive meta-analyses between high compared to low consumption of nuts and risk of various morbidities and mortalities. Reference is listed by first author and search year. *CHD: coronary heart disease; CVD: cardiovascular disease.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Summary of associations from the most comprehensive meta-analyses between consumption of ~30 g/day nuts and risk of various morbidities and mortalities. Reference is listed by first author and search year. *CHD: coronary heart disease; CVD: cardiovascular disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

The authors received a small reimbursement from the Norwegian Directorate of Health for work linked to this article.
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