Almonds and peanuts: alike in the hand, apart in the evidence

A meta-analysis of randomized trials in 2485 adults without heart disease found that almonds lowered LDL cholesterol by 5 mg/dL (95% CI 2.9 to 7.3; metric: 0.13 mmol/L, 0.075 to 0.190), from a review group with industry links whose result held in the higher quality studies. Peanuts have no matching meta-analysis on this page. The EU refused cholesterol claims for both, a 28 g handful of almonds and about 1.1 oz (30 g) of peanuts a day. The two nuts sit close on a plate. Per 100 g raw, USDA lab samples give almonds 10.8 g of fiber and 258 mg of magnesium against 8.0 g and 180 mg in peanuts, and peanuts slightly more protein, 23.2 g against 21.5 g. The US dietary survey uses 1 oz, 28 g, as the default portion for both. In people with established heart disease, five trials in 436 patients that gave almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts or mixed nuts for 6 to 12 weeks found no change in blood pressure, and peanuts were not among the nuts tested.

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g raw, USDA lab samples give almonds 10.8 g fiber and 258 mg magnesium versus 8.0 g fiber and 180 mg magnesium in peanuts. — USDA Foundation Foods, 8 samples each, raw kernels Evidence E source
  Fiber 10.78 vs 8.01 g; magnesium 257.6 vs 179.7 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey, the default portion for both almonds and peanuts is 1 oz (28 g), and a cup weighs 5 oz (141 g) for almonds and 146 g for shelled peanuts. — US FNDDS portion weights Evidence E source
  1 oz 28 g both; 1 cup 141 g almonds vs 146 g peanuts

What your body absorbs

• In two crossover RCTs in 55 young and older adults, two ounce-equivalents of almonds delivered 1.85 g essential amino acids, with lower bioavailability than pork or eggs. — Young (n=30) and older (n=25) adults, single test meals (n = 55) Evidence B source
  EAA content: pork 7.36 g, eggs 5.38 g, black beans 3.02 g, almonds 1.85 g
• In a 12-week crossover RCT in 61 older adults, adding high oleic peanuts raised energy intake by 10% but body weight rose only 1.1 lb (0.5 kg), less than predicted. — Healthy adults aged about 65 with BMI about 31, 12 weeks per phase (n = 61) Evidence B source
  Energy +853 kJ/day (10%); weight +1.1 lb (0.5 kg), below prediction; no lipid change

What cooking and storage change

• A systematic review found the body extracts less energy from almonds and peanuts than labels assume, and more from nut butter than from roasted or raw nuts. — 21 human feeding and in vitro studies Evidence C source
  Metabolizable energy raw almonds 18.5 kJ/g; order flour > chopped > whole, butter > roasted > raw
• Food processing trials, mostly on peanuts, show roasting cuts aflatoxin B1 by about 47%, and irradiation by about 59%. — 19 processing trials on nuts, most on peanuts Evidence D source
  Roasting: aflatoxin B1 -46.91%; irradiation: B1 -58.60%, total -74.97%

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of RCTs in 2485 adults without heart disease found almonds lowered LDL cholesterol by 5 mg/dL (0.13 mmol/L) and ApoB by 4.6 mg/dL. — Adults without CVD in RCTs of at least 4 weeks, 48 almond-control datasets (n = 2485) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -5.1 mg/dL (95% CI -7.3 to -2.9; metric: -0.132 mmol/L, -0.190 to -0.075); ApoB -4.552 mg/dL (-6.460 to -2.645); no effect on HDL-C

Safety, limits and interactions

• Observational data link introducing peanut after age 12 months with 2.5 times the odds of childhood food allergy. — Children under 6 in 176 observational studies across 40 countries (n = 2.8 million) Evidence C source
  OR 2.55; risk difference 6.8% (95% CI 1.9% to 14.6%)

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU did not authorize the claim that a 28 g handful of almonds a day helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol. — EU food labeling Evidence E source
  Claim non-authorized
• The EU did not authorize the claim that about 1.1 oz (30 g) of peanuts a day helps achieve healthy cholesterol levels. — EU food labeling Evidence E source
  Claim non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• In people with established heart disease, a meta-analysis of 5 RCTs (436 patients, almonds among the nuts) found nuts did not change blood pressure over 6 to 12 weeks. — Patients with atherosclerotic CVD, 5 RCTs, median 30 g nuts a day for 6 to 12 weeks (n = 436) Evidence A source
  Systolic MD -1.16 mmHg (95% CI -5.68 to 3.35); diastolic MD 0.10 mmHg (-2.30 to 2.51)

What is still unknown

• Raw peanuts carry slightly more protein than raw almonds (23.2 vs 21.5 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)), and peanut selenium varies from 2.9 to 76.3 ug across samples. — USDA Foundation Foods, raw kernels Evidence E source
  Protein 23.2 vs 21.5 g; peanut selenium mean 17.8 ug, median 5.4, spread 412%

The bottom line

Your body takes less energy from nuts than the label says. A systematic review of 21 human and laboratory studies found metabolizable energy below the standard prediction for almonds, peanuts and four other nuts, with raw almonds at 18.5 kJ per gram, though the methods were mixed and gave no pooled figure. The same review ranked nut butter above roasted nuts above raw, and flour above chopped above whole. In 61 adults aged about 65 with a BMI near 31, adding peanuts for 12 weeks raised energy intake by 10%, while body weight rose 1.1 lb (0.5 kg), less than predicted. The authors put that gap down to incomplete absorption, which they did not measure. Almonds are a modest protein source. In two crossover trials in 55 young and older adults, two ounce-equivalent portions delivered 1.85 g of essential amino acids from almonds, against 7.36 g from pork and 5.38 g from eggs, and pork and eggs gave greater bioavailability. Peanuts were not tested. Peanut selenium swings from 2.9 to 76.3 mcg per 3.5 oz (100 g) across USDA samples because it follows the soil, so a single label value misleads. The safety section holds one card, about peanut allergy in children, and it is observational. Data from 176 studies in 2.8 million children under 6 link introducing peanut after age 12 months with 2.55 times the odds of food allergy, and eczema and family history predicted allergy more strongly. That is an association, not a feeding instruction. It says nothing about the form in which peanut can be offered to a baby, and whole nuts are a choking risk for small children. We have no card on how peanut is introduced to babies already at high risk, such as those with eczema or a family history of allergy, the stronger predictors in that same data. For those babies the first peanut is a question for their doctor before anything is tried at home. We also have no card on nut allergy in adults or on interactions with medicines. Roasting changes contamination. Food processing trials, most of them on peanuts, found roasting reduced aflatoxin B1 by about 47%, a laboratory result with no human outcome measured. A cup weighs 5 oz (141 g) for almonds and 146 g for shelled peanuts in US survey data, against the 28 g default portion.

Sources

1. alp-r5-01 · food composition dataset
   Nuts, almonds, whole, raw: Fiber, total dietary 10.78 g (range 10.0-11.6, 8 samples); Magnesium 257.6 mg (range 238.5-271.0, 8 samples). Peanuts, raw: Fiber, total dietary 8.014 g (range 6.34-8.85, 8 samples); Magnesium 179.7 mg (range 147.0-223.5, 8 samples)
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-02
2. alp-r5-03 · portion dataset
   Almonds, unroasted (fdc_id 2707486): 1 oz 28 g; 1 cup 141 g; Quantity not specified 28 g. Peanuts, unroasted (fdc_id 2707514): 1 oz, without shell 28 g; 1 cup, without shell 146 g; 1 oz, in shell, yields 21 g
   USDA FNDDS, Almonds unroasted (42101000) and Peanuts unroasted (42111040) · checked 2026-10-02
3. alp-r5-06 · RCT
   Two oz-eq portions of pork (7.36 g EAA) and eggs (5.38 g EAA) resulted in greater EAA bioavailability than black beans (3.02 g EAA) and almonds (1.85 g EAA) in young and older adults, separately or combined (p < 0.0001 for all).
   Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
4. alp-r5-07 · RCT
   Energy intake was 10% higher (853 kJ, p < 0.05), following peanut consumption vs. control, attributed to a 30% increase in fat intake (p < 0.001), predominantly monounsaturated (increase 22 g, p < 0.05). Despite greater energy intake during the peanut phase, there were no differences in body composition, and less than predicted increase (0.5 kg) in body weight for this additional energy intake
   Nutrients, 2015 · checked 2026-10-02
5. alp-r5-08 · systematic review
   The ME of nuts was consistently lower than that predicted by Atwater factors for investigated nut types (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and peanuts). ... ME was influenced by nut type (ME = 22.6 kJ/g for pistachios; ME = 18.5 kJ/g for raw almonds), physical form (flour > chopped > whole nuts), heat processing (butter > roasted > raw) and dose of consumption.
   Adv Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
6. alp-r5-09 · meta-analysis of laboratory trials
   In most studies, the influence of method on aflatoxin reduction was assessed on peanuts. The results showed that the roasting method significantly reduced aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 concentrations by 46.91%, 30.66%, 40.88%, and 26.19%, respectively.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
7. alp-r5-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   36 publications (48 almond-control datasets) representing 2485 participants were included. Almond consumption significantly reduced LDL-C (-0.132 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.190, -0.075 mmol/L; p < 0.001)
   Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
8. alp-r5-10 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   delayed solid food introduction (eg, peanut after age 12 months [OR, 2.55; RD, 6.8%; 95% CI, 1.9%-14.6%])
   JAMA Pediatr, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
9. alp-r5-11 · EU claim register
   POL-HC-6583 Almonds Consuming a handful (28 grams) of almonds a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat, helps to maintain healthy blood cholesterol and promotes a healthy heart Non-authorised
   EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6583, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-02
10. alp-r5-12 · EU claim register
    POL-HC-7733 Peanuts, Peanut butter, Peanut oil Consuming a small handful, about 30 grams, of peanuts a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat helps to achieve healthy cholesterol levels and promotes heart health. Consuming two tablespoons, about 30g, of peanut butter a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat helps to achieve healthy cholesterol levels and promotes heart health. Consuming two tablespoons, about 30 grams of peanut oil a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat helps to achieve healthy cholesterol levels and promotes heart health. Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7733, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-02
11. alp-r5-05 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    From 5187 records identified, 6 publications containing data referring to 5 randomized clinical trials (n = 436) were included in the final analyses. The nuts evaluated were almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts, and mixed nuts, with portions that varied between 5 g and 85 g (median: 30 g/day).
    Nutr Rev, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
12. alp-r5-02 · food composition dataset
    Peanuts, raw: Protein 23.205 g (range 21.1848-24.4608); Selenium 17.81 ug (range 2.9-76.3, median 5.38, 8 samples, spread 412%). Nuts, almonds, whole, raw: Protein 21.45038 g (range 19.4768-25.641)
    USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-02