Brazil nut flour and cholesterol in patients on medication
What it found
In people with high cholesterol and high blood pressure already taking lipid-lowering drugs, 90 days of partially defatted Brazil nut flour alongside a healthy diet reduced total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol within the Brazil nut group.
There was no statistical difference in blood pressure or serum lipids between the Brazil nut and placebo groups.
What they found
Studies in people
Cholesterol within groups
The Brazil nut group showed reductions in total cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol and Apo A-1. The placebo group showed a reduction in FT3 levels and increased Lp(a) levels.
Between-group differences
There were no statistical differences in blood pressure and serum lipids between the Brazil nut and placebo groups.
Thyroid hormones
FT3 decreased significantly only in the placebo group at 90 days, with no alterations between groups. There were no statistical differences in TSH and FT4 levels within and between groups.
Selenium levels
Plasma selenium concentrations increased significantly in the Brazil nut group at all time-points. In the placebo group, those concentrations decreased significantly at 30 and 60 days.
Weight and waist
There were no significant changes in BMI or waist circumference within and between groups.
What the authors conclude
“Supplementation with Brazil nuts seems to favor the maintenance of FT3 levels and contributes to lipemia reduction in hypercholesterolemic and euthyroid patients.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that supplementation with Brazil nuts seems to favor the maintenance of FT3 levels and contributes to lipemia reduction in hypercholesterolemic and euthyroid patients.
- They state that the reduction in energy intake associated with the consumption of partially defatted Brazil nut flour (200 μg of selenium/day) contributed to a reduction in serum total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol levels in dyslipidemic and hypertensive patients undergoing drug treatment, without altering thyroid hormone concentrations.
- They call for more randomized studies with larger patient groups, conducted in populations with a wider range of plasma selenium concentrations, and no medication use.
How it was done
Thyroid hormones can lower atherogenic lipoproteins, and selenium is important in thyroid hormone homeostasis. The authors wanted to investigate the effects of a healthy diet associated with the Brazil nut in dyslipidemic and hypertensive patients.
Seventy-seven dyslipidemic and hypertensive patients already receiving lipid-lowering drugs received either a dietary treatment with partially defatted Brazil nut flour (13 g/day providing 227.5 μg of selenium/day) or dyed cassava flour as a placebo. All patients received a personalized dietary guideline and were followed for 90 days.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a randomized trial, so it can show cause and effect for what it measured, but it cannot show what happens outside the 90-day period or in people not taking lipid-lowering drugs.
- The authors note that the study had limitations, including participants who did not complete the study, and that more research is needed in larger groups and different populations.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Federal Universityof Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; National Cardiology Institute, Brazil
The paper
- Title
- Intake of partially defatted Brazil nut flour reduces serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic patients--a randomized controlled trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Carvalho RF, Huguenin GV, Luiz RR, Moreira AS, Oliveira GM, Rosa G (2015). Intake of partially defatted Brazil nut flour reduces serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic patients--a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition journal. doi:10.1186/s12937-015-0036-xFree full textPubMed 26077768DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error