Almonds: a real boost for the gut microbiome of those with poor diet

Concerned about your health but find it difficult to eat healthily? Need to lose weight but suffer from cravings? Try replacing cereal bars, cookies, and other fatty, sugary, and salty snacks with almonds. A study conducted by researchers at Florida State University ¹ in the United States suggests your gut microbiota would benefit greatly, and so would your health.

Counterbalancing the effects of junk food

People who eat a Western diet often suffer from dysbiosis, while being overweight generally leads to gut imbalances. To find out whether almonds could help remedy this, the scientists recruited 15 overweight or obese adults and divided them into two groups:

• The first group followed a “typical” American diet (high in fat, carbohydrates, meat, processed foods, etc.) 
• The second followed the same diet, but supplemented with 42.5 g of almonds per day (two small handfuls, or about 30 almonds).

After four weeks, all participants returned to a normal diet for 15 days, then switched diets for another four weeks. 
The researchers took stool and blood samples to analyze changes in gut microbiota composition and bacterial metabolites, as well as various health markers.

A microbiome more beneficial to health

The results showed that snacking on almonds enriches the gut microbiota with beneficial bacteria and suppresses pathogenic microorganisms.

Furthermore, these changes are correlated with clear improvements in certain health markers.
By supporting the proliferation of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a well-known beneficial bacterium that produces butyrate (a short-chain fatty acid, SCFA (sidenote: Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are a source of energy (fuel) for an individual’s cells. They interact with the immune system and are involved in communication between the intestine and the brain. Silva YP, Bernardi A, Frozza RL. The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids From Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020;11:25. ) ), almonds could strengthen the intestinal barrier, reduce inflammation, and promote cardiovascular health. 

By reducing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria such as Ruminococcus torques, these nuts could lead to a health-beneficial reorganization of the microbiota’s ecological niche.

Likely to affect weight and satiety

Almond consumption may also lead to a decrease in certain toxic bile compounds associated with intestinal diseases, particularly colon cancer, and an increase in ketone body levels.

Ketone bodies are molecules produced by the digestion of body fat. The increase in these bodies during the experiment may be linked to the satiating effect of almonds, which encourages the body to use its fat reserves as a source of energy more often.

Lastly, almond consumption was associated with an increase in the levels of two hormones, GLP-1 and YY, which play a role in hunger control, insulin sensitivity, and blood sugar control after meals.

According to the researchers, “daily almond snacking not only helps maintain gut homeostasis but also may alter the metabolic state and improve metabolic health.” 

Keep this in mind the next time you go grocery shopping.