Perspective:IsitTimetoExpandResearchon “Nuts”toInclude“Seeds”?JustificationsandKey Considerations

Abstract

The health benefits of nuts reported throughout the literature are extensive and well established for reducing the risk of, and managing several chronicconditionssuchascardiovasculardisease,type2diabetes,nonalcoholicfattyliverdisease,andcognition.Despitetheircomparablenutrient profiletonuts,seedsareoftennotassessedinclinicalandepidemiologicalstudies.Interestingly,dietaryguidelinesandrecommendationsoftenrefer to“nutsandseeds”collectively,eventhoughtheyarenotconsistentlyexaminedtogetherinnutritionresearchwhendeterminingassociatedhealth benefits.Thepurposeofthisreviewistocallforfuturenutritionresearchtoconsidercombiningnutsandseeds.Thisreviewprovidesjustificationfor thisproposalbysummarizingcurrentdefinitionsfornutsandseedsandhighlightingthesimilaritiesordissimilaritiesintheirnutrientcompositions. Followingthis,wesummarizecurrentevidenceonthehealthbenefitsofnutsandseeds,researchgapsthatshouldbeaddressed,andconsiderations forfutureresearchusingbothepidemiologicalandinterventionalstudydesigns.