Cashew nuts and blood pressure, cholesterol in trials
What it found
In 392 people from three trials, eating cashew nuts lowered systolic blood pressure slightly but made no difference to cholesterol levels or diastolic blood pressure.
What they found
Studies in people
Systolic blood pressure
Systolic blood pressure fell by about 3.4 points more in people eating cashew nuts than in controls. The result was consistent across the included trials.
Diastolic blood pressure
Diastolic blood pressure showed no clear difference between the cashew and control groups.
Cholesterol levels
Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides were all about the same in the cashew and control groups.
Other findings
Publication bias
The authors found no sign that the results were skewed by unpublished studies, and removing any single trial did not change the overall findings.
What the authors conclude
“This meta-analysis demonstrated that cashew nut consumption might reduce SBP but has no effects on lipid profile and DBP.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that cashew nut consumption might reduce systolic blood pressure but has no effects on lipid profile and diastolic blood pressure.
- They suggest that future studies should use identical diets in both the cashew and control groups so that any effects can be linked to the nuts.
- They call for additional trials testing higher doses of cashew on lipid profile.
How it was done
The authors note that abnormal cholesterol and high blood pressure are important risk factors for heart disease, and some studies suggest eating nuts may lower heart disease risk. They wanted to see whether cashew nuts specifically affect these risk factors.
They pooled three randomized controlled trials that gave cashew nuts to adults aged 18 and over. The trials lasted 4 to 12 weeks, with cashew doses of 30 or 42 grams per day in two trials; the third did not report a dose. In total, 190 people received cashews and 202 were controls.
What it can’t tell you
- The review pooled only three trials with 392 people, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- The trials lasted only 4 to 12 weeks, so longer-term effects are unknown.
- The diets of the cashew and control groups were not identical in the included studies, so some effects might come from other diet differences.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of Competing Interest None to declare
- Authors work at
- Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Brighton & Sussex Medical School, UK; Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran
The paper
- Title
- The effects of cashew nut intake on lipid profile and blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Jalali M, Karamizadeh M, Ferns GA, Zare M, Moosavian SP, Akbarzadeh M (2020). The effects of cashew nut intake on lipid profile and blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complementary therapies in medicine. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102387Free full textPubMed 32444052DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error