Macadamia nut

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and body weight³

  In young women, eating macadamia nuts for three weeks lowered cholesterol and body weight.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels⁴

  In people, a macadamia nut diet lowered total and LDL cholesterol compared with a typical American diet.

• Open question

  Weight and cholesterol⁵

  Eating macadamia nuts daily didn't add weight, and cholesterol dropped slightly, though not enough to be sure.

• Benefit

  Heart disease risk⁶

  In men with high cholesterol, eating macadamia nuts for four weeks lowered blood markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in men⁷

  In men with high cholesterol, eating macadamia nuts lowered bad cholesterol and raised good cholesterol.

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 allergic reaction risk²

  In children with macadamia nut allergy, a blood test helped predict who would have a severe reaction.

• Nut allergy testing⁹

  In people tested with macadamia nut, some had severe allergic reactions, and a skin prick test did not predict them.

• Nut allergy risk¹⁰

  Four proteins in macadamia nuts were found to trigger reactions in people allergic to macadamia.

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.

• Nut allergy reactions⁸

  A person had an allergic reaction right after eating macadamia nut, doctors reported.

How it’s made and used

• Gut bacteria and nut particles¹¹

  In lab studies, macadamia nut particles changed which gut bacteria grew during fermentation.

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.