A group of scientists from King’s College London looked into how whole and crushed almonds affected the types of intestinal bacteria. The Almond Board of California provided funding for the study, which was published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Numerous microorganisms that live in the gut make up the gut microbiome. These are essential for the digestion of nutrients and can be good or bad for our health, including our immunological and digestive systems.
Although research into the methods by which the gut microbiomes affect human health is ongoing, there is evidence that consuming certain foods can have a favourable impact on the sorts of bacteria in our guts or what those bacteria do there.
Researchers at King’s College London recruited 87 healthy adults who were already eating less than the recommended amount of dietary fibre and who snacked on typical unhealthy snacks (e.g. chocolate, crisps). Participants were split into three groups: one group changed their snacks for 56 g of whole almonds a day, another for 56 g of ground almonds a day, and the control group ate energy-matched muffins as a control. The trial lasted four weeks.
Researchers discovered that butyrate levels were substantially greater among nut eaters than in muffin eaters. A short-chain fatty acid called butyrate serves as the colon’s main energy source. When these cells function effectively, it provides an ideal condition for gut microbes to flourish, for the gut wall to be strong and not leaky or inflamed and for nutrients to be absorbed.
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