Endocrinologist told about the benefits and harms of nuts

Nuts are nutritious and caloric. However, people with allergies and people with various gastrointestinal tract (GIT) diseases should be careful when consuming them, endocrinologist, specialist in preventive and anti-age medicine at the European Medical Center (EMC) Elena Ostrovskaya told Izvestia on December 8.

"There is a lot of protein in nuts: 25 g in 100 g of cashews, almost 20 g in pistachios, 18.5 g in almonds. During fasts, when following a vegetarian or vegan diet, they are especially useful," - specified the doctor.

According to her, nuts have useful unsaturated fats - unlike animal fats, they do not raise cholesterol. The amount of fats is different, but not less than 40 g per 100 g of nuts. The record holders in this regard are hazelnuts (more than 65 g) and Brazil nuts (more than 60 g).

"There are few carbohydrates in nuts, they have a low glycemic index. Quite a lot of fiber - however, nuts are not consumed in such quantities to consider them the main source of this substance," Ostrovskaya added.

In addition, nuts contain copper, manganese, some calcium, magnesium. Magnesium is very useful for the nervous system, most of all it is contained in almonds, said the doctor.

At the same time, they have amino acids: arginine, which relieves vascular spasms, improves blood circulation in the muscles and heart and tryptophan, which is involved in the production of serotonin and melatonin, improves mood and sleep.

Also in nuts there are a lot of B vitamins - they are necessary for the nervous system. They also contain inositol, which improves insulin sensitivity.

"A safe amount of nuts per day is about 30 g. But, if there are few other sources of protein in the diet, the number of nuts can be slightly increased. The main thing to remember is that nuts are a heavy food. In large quantities, they can disrupt digestion. People with irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, pancreatitis and other GI diseases should consume nuts with caution. Also nuts can cause strong allergic reactions," Ostrovskaya explained.

She specified that nuts can be beneficial if consumed correctly. Walnuts, for example, have a lot of polyphenols, vitamin E and iodine. Hazelnuts contain the maximum amount of antioxidants 3 proanthocyanidins, which reduce oxidative stress and systemic inflammation. And nutmeg is rich in essential oils that are good for skin health and stimulate hair growth.

At the same time, according to the doctor, Brazil nuts contain a lot of selenium - it is enough to eat one or two nuts to get the daily norm. Selenium is necessary for the thyroid gland, synthesis of sex hormones and antioxidant defense enzymes. And pecans are high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc - they are very beneficial for bone tissue.

"To consume nuts with caution should be people who have allergies, and people with various GI diseases: irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, pancreatitis. To reduce the risks, nuts can be soaked - pour warm water overnight. Although it is believed that soaking due to the activation of the enzyme phytase helps to reduce the content of phytic acid, which interferes with the assimilation of useful substances, studies do not confirm that the procedure somehow significantly affects its amount, "- added Ostrovskaya.

For GI disorders and allergies, soaking nuts in water is actually beneficial. Soaking makes the nut softer and gets rid of the peel particles - the most allergenic component, she specified.

At the same time, the endocrinologist drew attention to the fact that much less useful than other nuts is peanut, which is not really a nut - it is a legume. Peanuts are high in carbohydrates and arachidonic acid, which can provoke inflammation of the vascular wall and accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. Although peanuts are rich in B vitamins and contain useful zinc, it is not worth abusing them, emphasized the specialist.

"It is also believed that you can be poisoned by a large amount of almonds - because of the cyanide content. But in fact, everything depends on the country of origin of the nut, the method of transportation, processing during storage. In the case of almonds, and any other nuts, to reduce the potential risks, it is recommended to buy them raw and independently dry them on a frying pan or in the oven," - concluded Ostrovskaya.

Earlier, on November 15, Arthur Bogatyrev, a urologist andrologist at the SM-Clinica reproductive health center, told Izvestia that people with kidney disease should avoid foods containing large amounts of oxalates, such as spinach, nuts, French fries, chips, beets, sorrel, bran and chocolate. They should also limit their intake of foods high in potassium, particularly avocados.