The Brazil Nut: A Treasure of the Amazon

Brazil nuts are a nutritious and flavorful nut that grows on large trees in the Amazon rainforest. The Brazil nut tree, also known scientifically as Bertholletia excelsa, can grow over 160 feet tall and live for up to 500-700 years. It is native to the Amazon basin in South America, mainly in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru.

The nut itself grows inside a round, coconut-like shell that drops from the tree when ripe, hitting the ground with enough force to crack. Inside each shell are usually around 10-25 triangle-shaped nuts that have a brown shell.

The cream-colored meat inside the hard shell is the edible Brazil nut.

Brazil nuts are a nutritional powerhouse, packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.

They are particularly rich in:

• Selenium. Just a few Brazil nuts provide your daily recommended intake of selenium, a crucial mineral for thyroid function, immune system health, and cognitive function.

• Magnesium. This mineral plays a vital role in many bodily processes, including muscle and nerve function, blood sugar control, and protein synthesis.

• Healthy fats. Brazil nuts are a good source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which contribute to heart health and overall well-being.

• Fiber. These nuts offer a good source of dietary fiber, which is essential for gut health and digestion.

• Other essential nutrients: Brazil nuts also contain vitamin E, thiamine, copper, phosphorus, manganese, and other important nutrients.

A study by Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, investigated the effects of Brazil nut consumption on lipid profiles and liver and kidney function in healthy volunteers.

It found that consuming 20 to 50g of Brazil nuts significantly lowered LDL-c and increased HDL-c, leading to a decrease in the atherogenic index¹ for up to 30 days.

Ingestion of high amounts of Brazil nuts (up to 50g) did not affect the biochemical parameters of liver and kidney function.

Although 20g and 50g doses significantly increased plasma selenium levels, only these doses exhibited changes in LDL-c and HDL-c, suggesting other factors like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids may play a role.

Single serving may be sufficient: Consuming a single serving of Brazil nuts (20g) may be enough to improve the lipid profile for up to 30 days.

In conclusion regular Brazil nut consumption could be a dietary strategy to improve cardiovascular health by modulating lipid profiles.

Sources

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
• wikipedia.org.

Footnotes

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