What are the real benefits of Brazil Nuts?

Brazil nuts are one of the foods richest in selenium. This micronutrient actively participates in the fight against oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between the endogenous production of oxidizing molecules (such as free radicals) and dietary intake of antioxidants. It induces oxidative damage to the body's cells by attacking their membrane rich in lipids, then the proteins and finally the DNA of the cells. This promotes the appearance of certain pathologies in the long term: cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's) and cancer.

Consumption of foods rich in antioxidants limits the impact of oxidizing molecules. In this context, selenium is the most interesting antioxidant. Indeed, it is a primary component of glutathione peroxidases, which are the most important intracellular antioxidant enzymes in the body. In this way, being one of the foods richest in selenium, Brazil Nuts provide support in the fight against oxidative stress.

Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:

• Consume a handful of Brazil nuts per day, which corresponds to approximately 20 g. They can be eaten alone or mixed with other dried fruits (Almonds, Cashew nuts, Peanuts…) throughout the day, but it is recommended to consume them for breakfast and as a snack.

• Brazil Nuts should be included in a balanced, varied diet rich in antioxidants to optimize their benefits in the fight against oxidative stress. This diet thus helps prevent the risks of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Integrate Brazil Nuts into the following preparations to make them easier to take: dishes, muesli, dairy products, yogurt, dessert.

• People suffering from type II diabetes and hypertension should favor the consumption of nuts such as Brazil nuts because of their contribution of antioxidants (and fats of good nutritional quality). Indeed, nuts have been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in these populations. It is therefore advisable to consume them at a rate of a handful per day.

• Refer to the labels of products containing Brazil Nuts to control selenium intake. In fact, some Brazil nuts are so rich in selenium that a single nut can meet the daily intake of this trace element. It is therefore advisable to be very vigilant, and not to consume more than 400 micrograms of selenium per day so as not to induce side effects such as selenium poisoning (selenosis).

• Combine Brazil Nuts with foods rich in vitamins C and E to improve selenium absorption. Foods rich in vitamin C are aromatic herbs (parsley, thyme, dill, etc.), as well as fruits and vegetables (acerola powder, blackcurrant, tomato, lemon, pepper, etc.). Concerning foods rich in vitamin E, we list vegetable oils (wheat Germ vegetable oil, avocado vegetable oil, safflower vegetable oil) and oilseeds (Sun-flower seeds, Almonds, etc.).

Brazil Nuts are foods with interesting content of proteins. They therefore contribute to the daily intake of these nutrients essential to the health of the body.. Proteins are macronutrients that mainly play the role of structure in the body. They also play a vital role in immunity and in the body's chemical reactions (enzymes = proteins). A handful of Brazil nuts (around 20 g) provides 3.38 g of protein, which is interesting with a view to reaching the recommended daily intake (RDA) estimated at a minimum of 50 g of protein per day.

However, it is important to mention that Brazil Nuts have 4 amino acids that limit protein synthesis: lysine, methionine, cysteine ​​and threonine.. A limiting amino acid is an amino acid present in insufficient quantities in a food to meet the daily requirement for the amino acid in question. Therefore, Brazil Nuts cannot cover the daily needs of these 4 amino acids alone. They must therefore be accompanied by foods rich in lysine, methionine, cysteine ​​and threonine, to contribute to the RDA of protein.

Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:

• Consume a handful of Brazil nuts per day, which corresponds to approximately 20 g. They can be eaten alone or mixed with other dried fruits throughout the day, but it is advisable to consume them for breakfast and as a snack.

• Do not consider Brazil Nuts as the only source of protein. Their consumption must be accompanied by foods rich in animal proteins, preferably to provide the missing amino acids through meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

• For vegetarians and vegans, it is necessary to accompany the consumption of Brazil nuts with food sources of lysine (legumes including soy; corn; sauerkraut; miso), methionine (cereals, soybeans, eggs), cysteine (lentils; beans; oilseeds including Peanuts, Almonds, Pistachios) and threonine (carrots, bananas, Sesame seeds, lentils, Spirulina, Chlorella).

• The Nuts of Brazil can be interesting to include in the meals of elderly or malnourished people to increase their protein intake. However, be careful of potential swallowing problems (consider mixing the Brazil nut to use them in flour).

• Brazil Nuts can be beneficial for athletes wishing to maintain or increase their muscle mass. Indeed, their protein needs are higher and regularly rise above 1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight.

• Integrate Brazil Nuts into the following preparations to make them easier to take: energy balls, cereal bars, muesli, pancakes, dishes, dairy products, yogurt, dessert.

The fact that Brazil nuts are one of the foods richest in selenium leads us to believe that they would be useful in case ofhypothyroidism, but this is not necessarily the case. Hypothyroidism is a thyroid dysfunction characterized by difficulty of the thyroid producing the thyroid hormones T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine). Some researchers have looked into the action of selenium in cases of hypothyroidism. The latter is essential for the activation of the enzyme that converts the hormone T4 into T3: 5-deiodase. However, only the T3 hormone can be used by the body, which must convert T4 into T3 to be able to use it.

Studies have analyzed the impact of consuming just one Brazil nut on T3 hormone production. The result was that, despite the rich selenium provided by a single Brazil Nut, T3 hormone levels did not increase significantly. This therefore means that selenium supplementation alone, and therefore Brazil nuts, cannot fight hypothyroidism alone.

Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:

• Do not start selenium supplementation without discussing it with a doctor if taking medication for hypothyroidism.

• Consume a handful of Brazil nuts per day, which corresponds to approximately 20 g. They can be eaten alone or mixed with other dried fruits throughout the day, but it is advisable to consume them for breakfast and as a snack.

• It is essential to optimize your overall diet in the event of hypothyroidism: cover the needs for iodine, selenium and zinc; limit isoflavones (soy and soy products), thiocyanates (cruciferous vegetables) and thio-oxazolidones (sweet potato, cassava, bamboo shoot).

• Integrate Brazil Nuts into the following preparations to make them easier to take: dishes, muesli, dairy products, yogurt, dessert.

No single food helps you lose weight, and Brazil Nuts are no exception.. Indeed, the phenomenon of weight loss is complex and is linked to many factors: physical activity, mental health, diet, sleep, etc. However, Brazil Nuts could be included in a balanced, varied and calorie-deficient diet aimed at losing weight.

They actually contain interesting levels of certain nutrients essential to the health of the body: proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, selenium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin E. With this in mind, Brazil nuts help to put the body in favorable conditions for weight loss, even if they cannot act alone on this phenomenon.

Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:

• Consume a handful of Brazil nuts per day, which corresponds to approximately 20 g. They can be eaten alone or mixed with other dried fruits throughout the day, although it is advisable to consume them for breakfast and as a snack.

• Include Brazil Nuts in a balanced, varied and calorie-deficient diet to optimize the benefits of the diet on weight loss. At the same time, it is recommended to practice regular physical activity (= avoid a sedentary lifestyle), and not to neglect your lifestyle (sleep, well-being, etc.).

• Consume Brazil Nuts as a replacement for snacks of low nutritional quality, that is to say, rich in calories but poor in essential nutrients (essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc.). They can thus be consumed with other oilseed fruits such as Almonds where the Cashew nuts at the rate of a handful overall to curb hunger between two meals.

• Integrate Brazil Nuts into the following preparations to make them easier to take: dishes, muesli, dairy products, yogurt, dessert.

Brazil nuts have a reputation for lowering cholesterol levels through their antioxidant properties and their unsaturated fat content. This reputation certainly comes from the fact that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats (such as those present in Brazil nuts) in the daily diet contributes to maintaining normal cholesterol levels (blood cholesterol levels).

A meta-analysis therefore evaluated the impact of Brazil nuts on the levels of total cholesterol, “good” HDL cholesterol (High Density Lipoprotein = High Density Lipoprotein) and “bad” LDL cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein = Lipoprotein). Low Density). The results of this meta-analysis showed that Brazil nuts did not have a significant impact on blood lipid levels, including for cholesterol total, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

Therefore, even if Brazil Nuts help prevent cardiovascular diseases thanks to their antioxidant properties, they do not have an impact on their own on blood cholesterol levels.

It is often said that Brazil nuts are good for transit, but their fiber content is too low to have a positive impact on transit alone.. Indeed, this reputation comes from the fact that 100 g of Brazil nuts contain 6.4 g of fiber. However, it is recommended to consume only 20 g of Brazil nuts per day, which only provides 1.28 g of fiber. This content is quite low since ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety) recommends consuming around 30 g of fiber per day.

Thus, Brazil Nuts can contribute to the daily fiber intake with the aim of improving transit, but they cannot alone have benefits on the latter. It is therefore essential to include Brazil Nuts in a balanced, varied diet rich in fiber to improve transit. In case of diarrhea, it is recommended not to exceed 15 g of fiber per day, and to encourage the consumption of soluble fiber (Psyllium, oat bran, legumes, barley). In case of constipation, it is recommended to provide more than 30 g of fiber per day, and to promote intake of insoluble fiber (Psyllium, fruits and vegetables, whole grain products).

Moderate consumption of Brazil nuts (around 20 g per day) does not make you gain weight.. In fact, 20 g of Brazil nuts per day only provides 140 kcal. Conversely, they can be eaten with other oleaginous fruits to curb hunger between two meals. This makes it possible to replace a snack of poor nutritional quality (high in calories and low in essential nutrients) with a more “healthy” snack. However, it is recommended not to consume Brazil nuts excessively to avoid increasing daily caloric intake which could cause weight gain.

The high selenium content of Brazil nuts may lead one to believe that they may have a useful antioxidant impact during cancer treatment, but it's not as simple as that.. It is true that chemotherapy-based treatments induce fairly high oxidative stress. However, it is possible that selenium supplementation using Brazil nuts could have the opposite effect, limiting the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

Each cancer is unique and complex. This is the reason why only the oncologist can judge the antioxidant benefits of food in the case of cancer treatment.

Brazil nuts may contain aflatoxins which are harmful to the liver, but they are very easy to avoid. Aflatoxins are toxins secreted by strains of fungi in humid and warm places like the Amazon (place of production). These toxins are considered toxic to the liver and even carcinogenic. They can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and even liver problems in the event of heavy consumption.

However, not all Brazil Nuts are contaminated and therefore dangerous for the liver. To avoid any risk, simply:

• check the presence of aflatoxins in commercially purchased products by looking at the label. For information, Brazil nut producers and sellers are regularly checked for contaminants in order to eliminate any risk of contamination, particularly by aflatoxins.

• Store Brazil Nuts in airtight bags in a cool, dry place.

• do not consume Brazil Nuts after the use-by date or when you notice possible mold on the product.

• Refer to the label of products containing Brazil Nuts to control selenium intake. In fact, some Brazil nuts are so rich in selenium that a single nut can cover the daily intake of this trace element. You should therefore be very vigilant and not consume more than 400 micrograms of selenium per day to avoid selenium poisoning.

• It is possible that children or people with swallowing disorders (difficulty swallowing) may have difficulty consuming Brazil Nuts. To limit any risk of misdirection, it is recommended to crush them or reduce them to powder. It may also be a good idea to wet them to make them even softer, which makes swallowing easier.

• Ensure that brands or producers of Brazil nuts check the absence of aflatoxins in their products before purchasing them.

• Do not consume Brazil Nuts after the expiration date to limit any risk of contamination with aflatoxins (toxins dangerous to health).

• Store Brazil Nuts in airtight bags in a cool, dry place.

• The Brazil nut is a nut and is therefore one of the foods to risk allergy. It is therefore recommended not to consume Brazil nuts if you have a nut allergy and to be vigilant about the potential allergic reaction that may follow their ingestion in children.