Cashew nuts

Studies in people

• No harm found

  Cholesterol levels³

  In people, taking cashew nut supplements alone did not significantly change blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

• No harm found

  Weight and blood sugar⁷

  Eating cashew nuts made no real difference to weight, waist size or blood sugar in these studies.

• Benefit

  Blood pressure⁸

  Eating cashew nuts may lower the top blood pressure number, but made no difference to cholesterol.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Allergen digestion survival¹¹

  Cashew nuts contain a protein that mostly survives being digested, which may matter for people allergic to cashews.

• Open question

  Juice reduces allergen binding¹²

  In lab studies, pomegranate juice made cashew nut proteins clump up, which stopped antibodies from recognising them.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Skin rash from food¹⁰

  In 1982, people who ate imported cashew nuts got a poison ivy-like rash.

Allergies and intolerances

These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.

• Severe food reactions²

  Cashew nuts can trigger severe allergic reactions in some people, and scientists still have no cure.

• Severe allergic reactions in children⁵

  In children, cashew nuts were the most frequent cause of tree nut anaphylaxis cases recorded from 2007 to 2024.

• Severe allergic response⁶

  In people with cashew nut allergy, a past bad reaction means eating cashew nuts often causes another.

• Related plant food reactions⁹

  Kids allergic to cashew may also react to pistachio, mango, pink peppercorn or sumac, but whether this matters is unknown.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Severe allergic reaction⁴

  A woman with cashew nut allergy had a severe reaction after a drink containing citrus pectin.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.