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Contribution of nut types towards the average nut intake of 'nut consumers', 2011-2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) (number of observations: 3761)*
Source publication
Objective
Nut consumption is associated with a range of health benefits. The current study aimed to examine nut consumption in the 2011–2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) and to investigate associations between nut intake, nutrient intake and anthropometric and blood pressure measurements.
Design
Secondary analysis of the...
Context in source publication
Similar publications
Several clinical interventions report that consuming nuts will not cause weight gain. However, it is unclear if the type of instructions provided for how to incorporate nuts into the diet impacts weight outcomes. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published nut-feeding trials with and without dietary substitution instructions to...
Citations
... Empirical studies in the USA have shown education level a strong correlate of both household income and diet quality (French et al. 2019), and that the higher educational level of female heads of households will lead to the higher nutrient intake (Ramezani and Roeder 1995). Studies in Australia have indicated that the more educated an individual is, the wider the range of foods they consume on a regular basis (Nikodijevic et al. 2020), for example, more educated people consume more nuts (Guan et al. 2022). Individuals with higher education, both males and females, consume significantly more types of food than other individuals, and there is a significant association between higher education level and regular consumption of a greater variety of foods (Worsley et al. 2004). ...
This paper, taking the middle-aged and elderly parents in rural families of China as the subject, studies the impact of children’s education on parents’ dietary nutrient intake. After analyzing the data in China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) 2011, this study discovers that China’s rural children’s higher educational level exerts a significant positive impact on the improvement of parents’ food consumption, nutrient intake and diet quality. This indicates that the improvement of rural education can be an effective approach to increase dietary nutrient intake of China’s rural population. The policy implication of this study is to further develop rural basic education, consolidate the coverage of compulsory education, and incorporate nutrition education into national education system.
... However, despite the well-established health benefits, nut consumption globally falls well below recommended intakes. Low nut intake has been reported to range from 3.3 to 5.2 g/d in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA [9][10][11]. A common barrier to regular nut consumption appears to be concern regarding body weight, with several studies reporting consumers believe that eating nuts will cause weight gain [12][13][14][15][16]. ...
Nuts are an energy-dense food, yet regular consumption is not associated with weight gain. A proportion of the fats found within nuts remains encapsulated within cell walls and cannot be digested. Metabolizable energy (ME) can be explored by measuring fecal fat excretion in human studies and fat release among in vitro studies. This systematic review with narrative synthesis aimed to examine the ME of tree nuts and peanuts (PROSPERO CRD42021252287). PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Embase databases were searched to June 2021. Both in vitro and human studies (adults ≥18 y) were included. Data was synthesized via narrative synthesis with results reported in summary tables and compared between form, processing, and dose of nuts, where available. Twenty-one studies were included. The ME of nuts was consistently lower than that predicted by Atwater factors for investigated nut types (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and peanuts). The mechanisms may relate to a lower fat release from nuts, hence higher fecal fat excretion; however, this review did not consider the digestibility of carbohydrates and protein, which should be considered when interpreting the outcomes. ME was influenced by nut type (ME = 22.6 kJ/g for pistachios; ME = 18.5 kJ/g for raw almonds), physical form (flour > chopped > whole nuts), heat processing (butter > roasted > raw) and dose of consumption. The lower-than-expected ME may explain a lack of association between nut intake and body weight observed in the literature and has implications for the development of food composition databases, food labeling, and informing dietary guidelines. However, the strength of the evidence base was reduced by the variation in methods used between studies, suggesting that further clinical trials are needed to determine the impact of the findings of this review for clinical dietetics.
... For instance, a secondary analysis of a subset of the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from the United States of America found 12.9% of adult males and 9.1% of adult females met recommendations to consume 30 g or more of nuts per day [102]. Analysis of the 2011-2013 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey in Australia found 5.6% of individuals consuming nuts met the recommendation to eat 30 g of nuts per day [103]. Of note, under 40% of Australians reported consuming nuts during the survey, despite nut consumption including nuts in mixed dishes such as breakfast cereals or muesli bars. ...
Nuts have formed part of human diets throughout the ages. In recent decades, research has shown they are key foods in dietary patterns associated with lower chronic disease risk. The current state of climate change, however, has introduced an imperative to review the impact of dietary patterns on the environment with a shift to plant-based diets. Nuts emerge as a significant source of protein in plant-based diets and are a minimally processed and sustainable food. Research in this area is evolving to drive better production methods in varying climate conditions. Nevertheless , nut consumption remains an important contributor to human health. The mechanisms of action can be explained in terms of the nutrients they deliver. Studies of nut consumption have linked components such as monounsaturated fatty acids, plant omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and plant sterols to improved lipoprotein profiles, lower blood pressure, and reduced cardiovascular disease risk. Preliminary research also indicates possible beneficial effects of nut consumption on reproductive health. In any case, the ultimate effects of foods on health are the results of multiple interactive factors, so where nuts fit within dietary patterns is a significant consideration for research translation. This has implications for research methodologies, including categorization within food groups and inclusion in Healthy Dietary Indices. The aim of this narrative review is to outline new focal points for investigation that examine the environmental and some novel human health impacts of nut consumption and discuss future directions for research.
... AUSNUT 2011-13 contains data for 5,740 foods and beverages which were derived from results of the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS), as part of the 2011-13 Australian Health Survey (AHS). The methods for the development of the avocado database were based on previous methods used to develop a similar database for nuts [25]. ...
Background
Consumption of avocados has been suggested to be beneficial for weight control, however, limited research is available about the related food choices. Understanding the food choices associated with avocados at meal occasions may further aid behavioural strategies to lose weight. The present study used a systematic approach to develop an avocado-specific food database, with the aim to explore food choices related to avocados at meal occasions as reported by overweight and obese volunteers in weight loss clinical trials.
Methods
The avocado-specific database was based on AUSNUT 2011–13 food composition database structure and was developed via a systematic approach, which determined the avocado content of Australian foods and beverages. Baseline usual food intake data was retrospectively pooled from four food-based clinical trials (n = 758). The Apriori algorithm of association rules, a two-step descriptive method was used to identify food choices associated with avocados at different meal occasions using a nested hierarchical food group classification system.
Results
The avocado database identified 34 avocados and avocado-containing foods and beverages. The proportion of avocado consumers in the pooled cohort was 51.3% (n = 389), with an average avocado intake of 21.57 ± 36.75 grams per day. Avocados were found to be closely related to other food groups at all of the food group levels at main meal occasions. A total of 68 food items containing avocados were identified for avocado consumers at the breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.
Conclusion
The avocado specific database provides a snapshot of the foods and beverages which contain avocados. Enumerating the full range of food choices in relation to avocado consumption should provide examples of food choices that people might consider in their efforts to increase their avocado consumption.
... In our study, adolescents consumed an average of 2.7 servings/week, equivalent to approximately 11.6 g of nuts/d (2.7 × 30 g/7d). This amount is higher than that observed between 1998 and 2000 in Spanish adolescents (14-17 years of age) (6.1 g/d) [37], between 2003 and 2012 in US adolescents (12-19 years of age) (5.0 g/d) [30] and between 2011 and 2012 in Australian adolescents (14-7 years of age) [52]. Despite these data apparently suggest that the adolescents included in the present study consumed more nuts than the other adolescent populations, comparison of such amounts requires caution because they were assessed at very different points in time and using varied methodologies. ...
Purpose
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between nut consumption and academic performance in Spanish adolescents and to explore the role of sociodemographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle covariates on this association.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was carried out using a food frequency questionnaire for estimating nut consumption in the number of 20–30 g servings per week, and academic performance data were obtained from school records. Analyses of covariance were adjusted for sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle covariates, including total energy intake.
Results
Among the 846 adolescents included in the analyses (55.3% girls, age range from 12 to 17 years), the mean ± standard deviation consumption of nuts was 2.7 ± 2.8 servings per week, while the mean of all school grades recorded was 6.5 ± 2.0. Furthermore, compared to no consumption, the consumption of ≥ 3 nut servings per week was consistently associated with higher grades in language (p for trend = 0.005), combination of language and math (p for trend = 0.026), grade point average (p for trend = 0.039), and combination of all school records (p for trend = 0.046). These associations were observed regardless of all covariates considered, although sex and socioeconomic level played a significant role in the completely adjusted models.
Conclusion
Nut consumption is associated with higher academic performance in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents. These cross-sectional results should be confirmed in longitudinal and intervention studies.
... Conversely, the healthy properties associated with nut consumption constitute a strong facilitator, but certain demographic characteristics such as a higher level of education or socio-economic status [145][146][147], healthier lifestyle [145,148], and higher levels of physical activity [145], are determining a higher intake of nut. Likewise, increased age appears to be related to higher nut consumption [145,148]. ...
The pistachio is regarded as a relevant source of biologically active components that, compared to other nuts, possess a healthier nutritional profile with low-fat content composed mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids, a high source of vegetable protein and dietary fibre, remarkable content of minerals, especially potassium, and an excellent source of vitamins, such as vitamins C and E. A rich composition in terms of phytochemicals, such as tocopherols, carotenoids, and, importantly, phenolic compounds, makes pistachio a powerful food to explore its involvement in the prevention of prevalent pathologies. Although pistachio has been less explored than other nuts (walnut, almonds, hazelnut, etc.), many studies provide evidence of its beneficial effects on CVD risk factors beyond the lipid-lowering effect. The present review gathers recent data regarding the most beneficial effects of pistachio on lipid and glucose homeostasis, endothelial function, oxidative stress, and inflammation that essentially convey a protective/preventive effect on the onset of pathological conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, CVD, and cancer. Likewise, the influence of pistachio consumption on gut microbiota is reviewed with promising results. However, population nut consumption does not meet current intake recommendations due to the extended belief that they are fattening products, their high cost, or teething problems, among the most critical barriers, which would be solved with more research and information.
... Nuts are a core food recommended in dietary guidelines globally [1], and evidence has shown that nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease [2]. However, nut consumption in Australia [3], as in many countries [1], remains lower than recommended. Research suggests that some consumers are unaware of the cardioprotective benefits of nut consumption [4,5], with confusion regarding the effect of nut intake on body weight also reported [4,6]. ...
... It is reasonable to assume that accurate knowledge and positive perceptions of nut intake will likely encourage health professionals to recommend nut consumption to their patients and clients. Due to the suboptimal intake of nuts observed in Australia [3], and the influence that health professionals may have in encouraging nut consumption in the general public, it is important to understand the current perceptions and knowledge of nuts that health professionals in Australia hold. Research has suggested that consumers are more likely to increase their nut intake if their doctor recommended them to do so [5,14], and this may also be the case for other health professionals. ...
... Given the low levels of nut consumption observed in both Australia and internationally [3,26], it is useful to explore reasons that nut intake may be discouraged by health professionals, as well as the reasons for nut avoidance reported by clients. In the case of dietitians and nutritionists, a common reason for advising some clients to eat fewer nuts was due to the high energy content of nuts. ...
Habitual nut consumption is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases; however, consumption levels in Australia are below recommendations. This study examined perceptions and knowledge regarding nut consumption among Australian healthcare professionals and their provision of nut consumption recommendations. A cross-sectional online survey of Australian health professionals was conducted in February–April 2020. Questions in the survey included demographic details, participants’ perceptions of nut consumption, and nut consumption recommendations they may make to clients and patients. A total of 204 health professionals completed the survey, of which 84% were dietitians or nutritionists. Health professionals demonstrated basic nutritional knowledge regarding nut consumption; however, non-dietitians/nutritionists lacked knowledge of long-term benefits of nut consumption. Dietitians/nutritionists were more likely to agree that nuts are healthy and do not cause weight gain when compared to non-dietitians/nutritionists (p = 0.021). A total of 63% of health professionals advised at least some of their clients to eat more nuts, and this was higher among dietitians/nutritionists (68%) than non-dietitians/nutritionists (31%). While basic nutritional knowledge regarding nut consumption was observed among all health professionals, there is scope for further education, particularly for non-dietitians/nutritionists, to ensure that nutrition information provided to patients and clients is accurate and reflects the current evidence base.
... Over the past years, a large body of evidence has accumulated regarding the relationship between peanuts and tree nuts consumption and health outcomes from both epidemiological and controlled dietary trials (11)(12)(13). Studies from epidemiology certainly indicated that mature persons more than 65 years old, supplementing three or more servings of nuts every week, had a lower risk of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (14). ...
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus was found to be associated with metabolic disorders, particularly abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism. Dietary food choices may have profound effects on blood lipids. The primary objective of this study was to examine the effects of peanuts and tree nuts intake on lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: According to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines, we performed a systematic search of randomized controlled clinical trials and systematic reviews published in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane library, from inception through June 2021. Studies in populations with type 2 diabetes, which compare nuts or peanuts to a controlled-diet group were included. We used the mean difference with 95% CIs to present estimates for continuous outcomes from individual studies. In addition, we used the GRADEpro tool to evaluate the overall quality of evidence.
Results: Sixteen studies involving 1,041 participants were eligible for this review. The results showed that peanuts and tree nuts supplementation did not induce significant changes in low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (mean difference = −0.11; 95%CI: −0.25 – 0.03, p = 0.117) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (mean difference = 0.01; 95%CI: −0.01 – 0.04, p = 0.400) in patients with type 2 diabetics. In addition, we found that peanuts and tree nuts intake may cause a significantly reduction in total cholesterol (TC) (mean difference = −0.14; 95%CI: −0.26 – −0.02, p = 0.024) and triglyceride (TG) (mean difference = −0.10; 95%CI: −0.17 – −0.02, p = 0.010). In the subgroup analysis, a significantly greater reduction in TC was observed in studies which duration was <12 weeks (mean difference = −0.22; 95%CI: −0.37 – −0.08, p = 0.002). The quality of the body of evidence was “moderate” for TC and TG, the quality of evidence for LDL-C and HDL-C were “low.”
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that consuming peanuts and tree nuts might be beneficial to lower TC concentration and TG concentration in type 2 diabetics subjects. Furthermore, peanuts and tree nuts supplementation could be considered as a part of a healthy lifestyle in the management of blood lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes. Given some limits observed in the current studies, more well-designed trials are still needed.
... Although some tree nuts and seeds are well known for their potent allergenic nature, they represent important plant proteins and provide valuable dietary sources of proteins, lipids, fibres, minerals and vitamins in the human diet . [65] As plant proteins, nuts and seeds contain around 18-20 and 20-40% w/w, respectively. Commercial extraction of proteins from nuts and seeds are not as common as other plant proteins, and the crops are mainly used for edible oil extraction. ...
The application of plant proteins in new food products is rapidly expanding worldwide driven by consumers demanding healthy, sustainably produced, and non-animal proteins. Major sources of plant protein include cereal grains, tree nuts, oilseeds, legumes, and pulses. Their protein content ranges from 6 to 45%, but many plant proteins typically have suboptimal levels and ratios of essential amino acids. Plant proteins is associated with many health benefits due to the presence of bioactive compounds which are claimed via in vivo and in vitro studies to show several biological activities and properties related to health promotion such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, and antioxidant properties. However, some of them are recognised as antinutritional factors and present inhibitory effects on the digestion of proteins. Other adverse effects associated with plant proteins include allergy (induced by the allergenic proteins) and coeliac disease (triggered by the gluten proteins). Beyond their roles in nutrition and health, the value of plant proteins extends to provide functional uses in food applications through processes such as solubilisation, emulsification, foaming, gelation, and dough formation. These functionalities play an integral role in the development of plant proteins-based foods such as meat analogue, beverages, bakery, and pasta products.
... Analysis of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study conducted in 10 European countries found that some variation in nut intake was present between individual countries (with lower intakes in Northern European countries compared to Southern European countries), with only 27.3% reporting consuming nuts from any source on the day of the 24 h recall [59]. Similarly, analysis of the 2011-2013 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, a component of the nationally representative Australian Health Survey, found that less than 40% of Australians reported consuming any nuts (including nuts in mixed dishes such as breakfast cereals or muesli bars) [60]. Similar to the findings from the United States, mean nut intake in the broader Australian population was 4.6 g per day. ...
... Observational evidence has highlighted key characteristics which tend to be associated with higher consumption of nuts. For instance, a higher level of education or socio-economic status [57,60,62] and factors associated with a healthier lifestyle overall such as non-smoking [57,61] and higher levels of physical activity [57] have been associated with increased nut intake. In addition, increased age appears to be associated with higher nut consumption [57,61], although there is some evidence that this may peak in young and middle aged adults, as opposed to older adults [60,62]. ...
... For instance, a higher level of education or socio-economic status [57,60,62] and factors associated with a healthier lifestyle overall such as non-smoking [57,61] and higher levels of physical activity [57] have been associated with increased nut intake. In addition, increased age appears to be associated with higher nut consumption [57,61], although there is some evidence that this may peak in young and middle aged adults, as opposed to older adults [60,62]. Conversely, intakes of nut butters may be higher among younger age groups [62]. ...
Habitual nut intake is associated with a range of health benefits; however, population consumption data suggests that most individuals do not meet current recommendations for nut intake. The literature has highlighted a range of barriers and facilitators to nut consumption, which should be considered when designing strategies to promote nut intake. Common barriers include confusion regarding the effects of nut consumption on body weight, perceptions that nuts are high in fat, or too expensive, and challenges due to dentition issues or nut allergies. Conversely, demographic characteristics such as higher education and income level, and a healthier lifestyle overall, are associated with higher nut intakes. Health professionals appear to play an important role in promoting nut intake; however, research suggests that knowledge of the benefits of nut consumption could be improved in many health professions. Future strategies to increase nut intake to meet public health recommendations must clarify misconceptions of the specific benefits of nut consumption, specifically targeting sectors of the population known to have lower nut consumption, and educate health professionals to promote nut intake. In addition, given the relatively small body of evidence exploring barriers and facilitators to nut consumption, further research exploring these factors is justified.
