食用坚果的健康益处已在观察性研究和干预试验中得到广泛证明。除了营养价值高,无数证据表明,将坚果纳入饮食可能有助于促进健康和预防某些疾病。这些好处主要是,当然不仅归因于它们丰富的健康脂质(丰富的不饱和脂肪酸),而且还有大量植物化学物质的存在,如极性脂质,角鲨烯,植物甾醇,Tocochromanols,和多酚化合物。因此,许多坚果化合物很好地适用于“营养食品”,“一个广义的术语,用于描述任何食物成分,除了基本的营养价值,可以贡献额外的健康益处。这一贡献分析了花生和普通树坚果的一般化学概况(杏仁,核桃,腰果,榛子,开心果,澳洲坚果,山核桃),专注于脂质成分和植物化学物质,考虑到它们的生物活性。有关坚果消费的相关科学文献,和/或它们的一些组件,对某些疾病(如癌症)具有改善和/或预防作用,心血管,新陈代谢,和神经退行性病变-也进行了审查。此外,根据已知的机制框架分析了生物活性特性.
The health benefits of nut consumption have been extensively demonstrated in observational studies and intervention trials. Besides the high nutritional value, countless evidences show that incorporating nuts into the diet may contribute to health promotion and prevention of certain diseases. Such benefits have been mostly and certainly attributed not only to their richness in healthy lipids (plentiful in unsaturated fatty acids), but also to the presence of a vast array of phytochemicals, such as polar lipids, squalene,
phytosterols, tocochromanols, and polyphenolic compounds. Thus, many nut chemical compounds apply well to the designation \"nutraceuticals,\" a broad umbrella term used to describe any food component that, in addition to the basic nutritional value, can contribute extra health benefits. This contribution analyses the general chemical profile of groundnut and common tree nuts (almond, walnut, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, macadamia, pecan), focusing on lipid components and phytochemicals, with a view on their bioactive properties. Relevant scientific literature linking consumption of nuts, and/or some of their components, with ameliorative and/or preventive effects on selected diseases - such as cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative pathologies - was also reviewed. In addition, the bioactive properties were analyzed in the light of known mechanistic frameworks.