Pistachio nuts

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Blood pressure and blood sugar²

  In adults, eating pistachio nuts lowered systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and fasting blood sugar, and raised good cholesterol.

• Benefit

  Blood cholesterol levels³

  In adults, eating pistachio nuts lowered total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, though good cholesterol stayed about the same.

• Benefit

  Diet and wellness⁴

  Pistachio nuts contain things that may improve overall health when eaten as part of a healthy diet.

• Benefit

  Heart and blood sugar health⁵

  Pistachio nuts have nutrients that may help with blood sugar, blood vessels and inflammation.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar control⁶

  In people with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, eating pistachio nuts daily lowered fasting blood sugar and insulin levels.

• Open question

  Blood vessel function⁷

  In people, eating pistachio nuts improved one blood vessel measure but not another, the review found.

• Benefit

  Weight and heart health⁸

  Studies suggest pistachio nuts may help with weight, blood sugar and heart health, though more research is needed.

• Benefit

  Heart and blood fats⁹

  Studies in people show pistachio nuts can improve blood fat levels and may help with weight control.

• Benefit

  Eye health¹¹

  In people with low lutein intake, eating pistachios daily raised the eye pigment that filters light.

• Benefit

  Muscle soreness after exercise¹²

  In men, eating 85g of pistachio nuts daily for two weeks before and after a run eased soreness in one leg.

• Benefit

  Weight loss and blood pressure¹³

  In overweight adults, eating pistachios daily alongside a weight loss program led to similar weight loss and lower blood pressure.

• Benefit

  Blood vessel stiffness¹⁴

  In adults with mildly high cholesterol, eating pistachio nuts daily improved blood vessel stiffness and cholesterol numbers.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol particles in the blood¹⁶

  People with high LDL who ate pistachios daily had lower levels of small, dense LDL particles.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar after meals¹⁷

  In people with metabolic syndrome, eating pistachios with white bread led to lower blood sugar than white bread alone.

• Benefit

  Erection problems in men¹⁸

  In men with erection problems, eating pistachio nuts for three weeks improved their scores and cholesterol levels.

• Benefit

  Weight loss and blood fats¹⁹

  People on a diet who snacked on pistachios lost weight and had lower blood fats than those eating pretzels.

• Benefit

  Heart health²⁰

  In adults with high cholesterol, eating pistachios lowered oxidized-LDL in the blood.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Colon cancer risk²³

  In lab studies, pistachio nuts slowed colon adenoma cell growth and reduced DNA damage, whether raw or roasted.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria health²¹

  Eating pistachio nuts may help good gut bacteria grow, but scientists do not yet know this for sure in people.

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.

• Food allergy antibodies¹⁰

  Some people reacted badly to pistachio nuts, and tests found their bodies made allergy antibodies against them.

How it’s made and used

• Blood fat particles¹⁵

  In people with pre-diabetes, eating pistachio nuts daily changed the size and mix of blood fat particles.

• Fat digestion comparison²²

  In lab studies, pistachio nuts released about the same amount of fat as walnuts and almonds.

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.