These nuts help you lose weight as effectively as hitting the gym
Photo: What nuts will help you lose weight (freepik.com)
Incorporate these nuts into your weight-loss diet to reduce inflammation, improve gut health, and shed pounds. Brazilian scientists have proven that Brazil nuts, thanks to their high selenium content, can help treat obesity and prevent hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, according to The Journal of Nutrition.
What nuts should be consumed for weight loss
Obesity is a severe metabolic disorder characterized by visible weight gain from fat accumulation, oxidative stress, and chronic low-grade inflammation. Mild inflammation leads to the continuous production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, contributing to hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
This also disrupts intestinal permeability, further exacerbating inflammation.
Scientists sought to break this vicious cycle by introducing selenium-rich Brazil nuts, known for their potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, into the diets of overweight and obese women.
These nuts also help suppress appetite and are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols.
The study, conducted by the Department of Nutrition and Health of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil, involved 46 women aged 20-55 with a body mass index (BMI) over 27, high body fat (over 32%), and waist circumference above 80 cm. Of them, 17.4% were overweight, while 82.6% were obese.
The study lasted eight weeks, with the women divided into two groups: a control group that did not consume nuts and another group that consumed 8 grams of Brazil nuts daily, equivalent to two nuts.
The study aimed to reduce the women's weight by 4 kg, decrease inflammation, and improve gut health. Both groups followed a calorie-restricted diet (-500 kcal/day).
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Brazil nuts help to lose weight (photo: freepik.com)
Brazil nuts will help you lose weight
After eight weeks, participants who ate two Brazil nuts daily showed significantly lower levels of inflammation markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1β, and interleukin-8, compared to others in the study.
Inflammation decreased in all women in the Brazil nut group, even those who did not lose the expected weight during the study period.
Overall, both groups lost weight, but those who ate Brazil nuts lost slightly more (about 3.5 kg) than those who did not (around 2.5 kg). However, the women in the Brazil nut group who lost the most weight also showed the most significant reduction in inflammation markers.
Moreover, the significant increase in selenium levels in the blood from consuming Brazil nuts contributed to reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and intestinal permeability.
Scientists suspect these results were achieved by raising selenium levels in the body, as this element was responsible for reducing inflammation.
Serum selenium concentrations were significantly higher in the group that consumed Brazil nuts.
Read also about eight foods that will never make you fat.
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