Nuts are a high energy food. This results from their high fat content, with fat providing 9 kcals per gram. The high energy content of nuts may suggest that nuts are able to cause weight gain if consumed regularly. However, studies show that nuts appear to have the opposite effect. Regular consumption of nuts is associated with weight loss. One reason for this may be that the fat within nuts tends to be polyunsaturated fat, some of which belong to the omega-3 and omega-6 categories of essential fats. Such fats tend to be used for essential functions rather than stored as energy and so the energy may ultimately enter metabolic routes other than adipose tissue. Also the fat in nuts appears not to be well absorbed and a significant amount of it is excreted before absorption. This may relate to the high fibre content of nuts which has been suggested to inhibit the absorption of fat. Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet therefore should be expected to cause any significant weight gain despite the high fat content.
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