Research

Macro partitioning

Consuming tree nuts (median 56 g/d) as part of an isocaloric diet significantly improves glycemic control (lowering HbA1c and fasting glucose) in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes, adding about 56 grams (roughly a small handful) of tree nuts daily to your diet can help lower your blood sugar levels. To avoid weight gain, replace other foods in your meal with the nuts rather than eating them in addition to your usual diet. This strategy has been shown to significantly improve HbA1c and fasting glucose in clinical trials.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Diets emphasizing tree nuts at a median dose of 56 g/d significantly lowered HbA1c (MD = -0.07% [95% CI: -0.10, -0.03%]; P = 0.0003) and fasting glucose (MD = -0.15 mmol/L [95% CI: -0.27, -0.02 mmol/L]; P = 0.03) compared with control diets.
Effie Viguiliouk et al. · PLoS ONE · 2014

Why this rating

Meta-analysis of RCTs provides strong evidence, but the authors note limitations including short duration and poor quality of many included trials.

Source

Effect of Tree Nuts on Glycemic Control in Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Dietary Trials

Effie Viguiliouk et al. · PLoS ONE · 2014

DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0103376

Meta-analysis · 12 studiesCited 167×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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