Nuts and energy absorbed

[mccoy]

We have been hinting at the Atwater factors in some previous discussions, but I discovered that there is some recent material about that. 

There are quite a few studies on true energy values provided by nuts, the most recent I know suggests that 80% of the traditional calories declared in almonds, walnuts and pistachios are actually absorbed, because of decreased bioavailability due to trapped oil in intact cells. A customization of the fats contained in nuts in cronometer should probably be done. I could not find much on other nutrients, the suspicion is that many other nutrients may be lesser available than previously thought.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7015882/

 

onclusion

Nut structure and internal constituent properties may decrease lipid bioaccessibilty during digestion. Understanding the mechanisms that allow nuts to be a highly energy dense food without promoting positive energy balance is of particular intest since nuts are an increasingly consumed food with postive health benefits and new strategies could be developed to optimise nut-based functional ingredients. Our results show that chewing causes a rupture of cell walls but the amount of lipid released does not correspond with the number of ruptured cells on the fracture surface of nut tissue. Moreover, the ratio of ruptured cells to intact cells was not related to particle size. In this work, evidence of additional mechanisms by which the structural features of nuts can reduce lipid bioaccessibility was provided. Examination of nut microstructure indicates that the fissures of cell walls as well as lipid storage properties are also important for energy extraction. These findings indicate walnuts, almonds and pistachios yield similar, but limited amounts of energy (~80 %) during digestion, likely through varied mechanisms. For nuts, including walnuts, the limited bioaccessibility may stem in part from the ready hydrolysis of their oliosins at low pH allowing for OB coalescense and resistance to lipolysis.

[Alex K Chen]

https://zoe.com/learn/podcast-nuts

Quote

[00:12:30] Dr. Sarah Berry: Yeah. So there was a study carried out several years ago by David Bear in the US where they fed individuals nuts over some time, collected their poo, and had a look at how much energy was excreted from consuming nuts. And what this meant in real terms, is that for some people, a 30 grand portion of almonds, uh, resulted in them eating about 56 calories. And yet for other people, Eating a 30 grand portion of almonds resulted in [00:13:00] them eating about 168 calories. So that's a huge difference. And if you extract that over a week, that's a large amount.

It's David Baer

https://www.ars.usda.gov/people-locations/person/?person-id=236

==

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/5/1162

Edited November 5, 2023 by InquilineKea

[mccoy]

Yes, the individual variability in absorption seems huge.  Although it may be explained simply by the chewing time, those who chew nut hurriedly won't disrupt most of the matrix architecture. I don't know if this factor has been corrected.

[TomBAvoider]

mccoy, the quote you cited in your OP seems to argue against chewing being a factor. Individual variability may be down to your particular digestive system, microbiome and other factors, perhaps what else you eat the nuts with.

As an example, I consume nuts everyday - almonds, walnuts and peanuts (yes, peanuts are legumes). And I always consume them in the same way - chewing them, and washing down each chew-portion with green (actually white) tea. Is it possible that I absorb lipids in nuts (or other nutrients) differently with tea, than had I not chased them down at all, or used, for example water? I don't know.

The point being, that in general, it's not so simple to determine how many calories a day you consume, or what impact various elements of your diet (and lifestyle, f.ex. exercise!) have on your health, because they all interact with each other. 

This is in furtherance to my point that I've been making for years now: the only real medicine is individualized. What applies to other people may, or may not apply to you, or apply fully, with some exceptions, of course (presumably a cyanide overdose is bad for everyone).

[mccoy]

Tomb, I didn't remember that, if chewing has been ruled out as a substantial confounder, then I wonder what can cause a difference in absorption by a factor of three.

Whatever it is, as you say individual variability in some aspects can reach extreme levels.

[Alex K Chen]

This is a weird case where eating impulsively/quickly can be more healthful than eating slowly #ADHD-relevant

[mccoy]

16 hours ago, InquilineKea said:

This is a weird case where eating impulsively/quickly can be more healthful than eating slowly #ADHD-relevant

Yes, true enough! Although even in a longevity context we can use all the micronutrients, essential AAs and polyunsaturated fatty acids in nuts