As scientific research published in the Science Direct:
An overview of contemporary research on the bioactive components, health benefits, and health claims of nuts and dried fruits is given in this article.
Since the beginning of time, humans have consumed nuts and dried fruits. They are nutrient-dense foods and a great way to offer bioactive chemicals that promote health. As a result, they not only feature in numerous classic and modern specialities of global gastronomy but also function as significant healthy snack items. To fully benefit from the nutrients, bioactive, antioxidants, and delicious flavour that nuts and/or dried fruits provide, frequent ingestion is strongly advised. Nuts and dried fruits include macronutrients, micronutrients, and other health-promoting bioactive substances that may work in concert to reduce the risk of cardiometabolic and other non-communicable illnesses through several different pathways.
Nut eating has been shown to have positive benefits on several health outcomes in experimental research, prospective studies, and human clinical trials. However, research on the advantages of dried fruits has been less extensive. In addition to discussing nuts and dried fruits' tremendous potential as healthy foods to treat several human disorders, this review highlights recent research on their bioactive components, health claims, and advantages.
Nuts
Almonds,
Brazil nuts,
cashews,
hazelnuts,
macadamias,
pecans,
pistachios, and
walnuts are the most popular tree nuts ingested. Although technically a legume,
peanuts are classified in the nut's food category by nutritionists and consumers because of their comparable nutritional makeup to that of tree nuts and their shared positive health effects. Chestnuts have a distinct dietary profile from other nuts since they are high in carbohydrates and low in fat and protein. Additionally, heartnut and walnuts have comparable nutritional profiles.
Dried Fruits
Fruits that have been dried have a lower moisture content and are more nutrient dense than fresh fruits.
Traditional dried fruits include apples, apricots, blueberries, cherries, dates, figs, mulberries, peaches, pears, prunes, and raisins (for example, those without added sugars).
The idea that nuts are a healthy diet is supported by a wealth of scientific research. Numerous epidemiological findings have revealed a negative relationship between nut intake and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD), and related mortality, as well as overall cancer incidence and death from all causes. Additionally, several randomized controlled studies (RCTs) have demonstrated the advantages of nut consumption for blood lipids and other early indicators of CHD. The interplay of nuts' numerous bioactive components, which may all have positive impacts on the cardiometabolic pathways, is what causes these beneficial benefits. Given their high energy density, nuts could be expected to cause weight gain, however, data from epidemiological studies and RCTs shows otherwise.
Fruits, a dietary category, which includes dried fruits without added sugar, have shown favourable benefits on cardiovascular and other intermediate disease risk factors and have consistently been inversely associated with the incidence of numerous non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in several cohorts. According to the extensive National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the United States, eating dried fruit is associated with a lower risk of developing certain NCDs. RCTs are still rare even though a lot of in vitro and in vivo research points to the beneficial effects of the components of dried fruits on several NCDs. Therefore, RCTs are required to examine how dried fruits affect, among other pertinent outcomes, dyslexia, cardiometabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity, cancer, and bone health.
Health Benefits of Nuts
CVD has been the major subject of epidemiological studies on nuts. In the most recent meta-analysis, correlations between exposure to nuts or nut products like peanut butter with different CVD outcomes the following follow-up for up to 28.7 years were evaluated in 20 sizable population-based prospective cohort studies. Overall, this meta-analysis shows that eating nuts reduces the risk of both fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD), and atrial fibrillation while not influencing the incidence of stroke or heart failure. The estimates for the relationships between nut intake and CVD and CHD risk were comparable when total nuts, tree nuts, and peanuts were individually examined. Contrarily, the three studies that looked at the use of peanut butter found no difference in the outcomes of CVD.
It's interesting to note that these two meta-analyses also compiled information from 15 studies on the relationship between nut consumption and all-cause mortality, finding that high nut users had a 19% reduced death rate overall, with comparable estimates for tree nuts and peanuts. The meta-analysis also included nine cohort studies with information on overall cancer incidence and concluded that those who consumed the most nuts had an 18% reduced chance of developing cancer than people who consumed the least. The findings of a new extremely large research, with a median follow-up of 15.5 years, support the inverse relationship between nut intake and all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality, as well as the absence of any relationship between nut consumption and these endpoints for peanut butter consumption.
Health Benefits of Dried Fruits
Regardless of the season, dried fruits are a practical approach to including more fruit in our diet. Regular consumption of dried fruits can have a variety of health advantages since they retain a lot of health-promoting phytochemicals after processing. Numerous in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that dried fruits and/or their contents have a positive impact on the regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism as well as carcinogenesis. However, compared to nuts, dried fruit's impact on human health has received far less attention, with the majority of studies concentrating on raisins. The lipid profile, appetite, and satiety management, CVD and cardiometabolic syndrome (e.g., inflammation, endothelial function, and BP), glucose and insulin homeostasis, bone health, and cancer are all advantages of regular dried fruit consumption. Importantly, dried fruits have also been shown to affect gut microbiota and gastrointestinal physiology; a recently developed RCT will examine their advantages for endurance exercise.
Where to Buy Nuts and Dried Fruits in the UK
Nuts Pick provides a wide variety of nuts and dried fruits; once you try them, they'll become your favourites. We have Freeze Dried Strawberries, Dried Apple Rings, Dried Pineapple Rings, and more; you can also view all of our dried fruit options right here. Regarding nuts, we offer Brazil Nuts, Raw Cashews, and Blanched Peanuts (Raw). You may also visit our website to view all Products and all flavours.
Conclusion
Here, we outline the most recent research on the bioactive properties and health advantages of nuts and dried fruits. Both nut and dried fruit consumption have been linked to cardiometabolic and other health advantages. Although dried fruit-eating has to be encouraged for public health reasons even if the quality of evidence is less than that of nuts. Both nuts and dried fruits may be used as snacks, ingredients in salads, sauces, and other dishes, and both have to complement nutritional profiles and bioactive properties.
