Brazil Nuts, Gut Health & Inflammation

Eating just a few Brazil nuts a day comes with a long list of benefits.

These smooth, buttery nuts are most known for their selenium content, with 1 nut providing around 150% of the daily recommended amount of the mineral. Turns out they can also help inflammation and gut health.

Impact on Inflammation

Eating around 2 Brazil nuts daily improved markers of inflammation—including C-reactive protein—after 8 weeks.

This was true for women between the ages of 20 and 55 with cardiometabolic risk factors (and already likely to have higher levels of inflammation).

Inflammation increased in those following a similar diet without the Brazil nuts.

Impact on Gut Health

Researchers found that higher blood selenium levels were linked to lower inflammation markers that they believed could be used to predict gut permeability (aka leaky gut).

Leaky gut then triggers more inflammation.

Why Brazil Nuts Have This Impact

While selenium is an essential mineral, it also has potent antioxidant properties.

They also provide beneficial monounsaturated fats and fiber that are also known to decrease inflammation and support gut health.

How many should you eat?

You only need to eat 1-2 Brazil nuts daily (these aren't nuts you eat a handful of for a snack).