Almond intake and body measurements in adults
What it found
In adults, eating almonds slightly lowered body weight and fat mass, but made no clear difference to BMI, waist circumference or fat-free mass.
What they found
Studies in people
Body weight
Almond intake significantly decreased body weight. The average drop was 0.38 kg.
Fat mass
Almond intake significantly decreased fat mass. The average drop was 0.58 kg.
BMI
There was no significant effect of almond intake on BMI.
Waist circumference
There was no significant effect of almond intake on waist circumference.
Fat-free mass
There was no significant effect of almond intake on fat-free mass.
What the authors conclude
“Overall, the current meta-analysis demonstrated that resveratrol almond intake significantly reduced weight and FM, but did not affect BMI, WC, and FFM.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that almond intake significantly reduced weight and fat mass, but did not affect BMI, waist circumference, and fat-free mass.
- They advise that further studies are still required to confirm their results.
How it was done
The authors wanted to pull together the results of randomised controlled trials to summarise the effect of almond intake on body measurements in adults.
They searched five databases up to January 2020 and found 28 randomised controlled trials with 37 arms that were eligible. These trials looked at almond intake and body weight, BMI, waist circumference, fat mass and fat-free mass in adults.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This paper pools results from many trials, so it cannot show what happened to any one person.
- It cannot show whether almonds cause weight or fat loss over a lifetime.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran
The paper
- Title
- The effect of almond intake on anthropometric indices: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- 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
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Eslampour E, Moodi V, Asbaghi O, et al (2020). The effect of almond intake on anthropometric indices: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Food & function. doi:10.1039/d0fo00470gPubMed 32857083DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error