Corn nuts: what the salt and the acrylamide numbers mean

Across 56 systematic reviews in people at various levels of cardiovascular risk, eating less sodium lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.00 to 8.69 mmHg, with moderate to high certainty. Those reviews were about sodium in general, and corn nuts come into it only as a source. USDA lists 564 mg of sodium and 446 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single record that does not separate brands or seasonings such as tajin. A small 28 g bag works out to about 158 mg of sodium and 125 calories, and a medium 57 g bag to about 322 mg and 254 calories. We found no study of corn nuts themselves and human health. The question people raise most is acrylamide. In a survey of corn snacks sold in Serbia, a bulk corn nut sample had the highest level of anything tested, 799 ng/g, a result from one country whose abstract does not say how many corn nut samples were measured.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g, corn nuts carry 446 calories, 71.86 g carbohydrate, 6.9 g fiber, 8.5 g protein and 564 mg sodium. — USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 food code 54401011, Corn nuts Evidence E source
  446 calories; sodium 564 mg; fiber 6.9 g; protein 8.5 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• In corn snacks sold in Serbia, a bulk corn nut sample had the highest acrylamide level of all products tested, 799 ng/g. — industrially produced corn-based snacks marketed in Serbia (chips, flakes, flips, popcorn, corn nut, crackers) Evidence C source
  Acrylamide 1.9 to 799 ng/g; maximum in corn nut bulk sample; about 37% of products above EU benchmark levels

What a real portion looks like

• A small single-serving bag of corn nuts weighs 0.99 oz (28 g) and gives about 125 calories and 158 mg sodium. — USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 portion weights for Corn nuts Evidence E source
  28 g bag: 124.9 calories, 157.9 mg sodium, 1.9 g fiber; 57 g bag: 254.2 calories, 321.5 mg sodium

What your body absorbs

• In 5 women, calcium absorption from maize tortillas rose from 35% to 50% when the maize had about 60% less phytate. — 5 healthy adult women fed 2 test meals of approximately 140 g tortillas (n = 5) Evidence C source
  Fractional calcium absorption 0.50 +/- 0.03 (low-phytate) vs 0.35 +/- 0.07 (control), P = 0.003

What cooking and storage change

• In an RCT of 40 adults in Soweto, alkaline cooking (nixtamalization) of moldy maize cut fumonisin B1 and B2 by 95% and zearalenone by 89%. — Forty adult healthy volunteers from an informal settlement in Kliptown, Soweto (South Africa) (n = 40) Evidence B source
  Fumonisin B1 -95%, fumonisin B2 -95%, zearalenone -89%; fumonisin B3 and DON to unquantifiable or undetectable levels in maize
• Pooled data from 6 studies put acrylamide in popcorn at 459.6 ug/kg on average, with lower levels in microwaved corn. — popcorn samples in 6 analytical studies pooled by meta-analysis (n = 6 studies) Evidence C source
  Mean acrylamide 459.6 +/- 220.3 ug/kg; range 106 to 1,017.7 ug/kg

What it does to your health

• Across 56 systematic reviews, eating less sodium lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.00 to 8.69 mmHg in various cardiovascular risk populations. — various cardiovascular risk populations in 56 systematic reviews with meta-analyses (n = 56 SRMAs) Evidence A source
  Systolic BP -8.69 to -2.00 mmHg with lower sodium intake (moderate to high certainty)

Safety, limits and interactions

• Pooled cohort data on 1,151,189 adults found no link between the highest dietary acrylamide intake and site-specific cancer. — non-occupationally exposed adults in 16 studies, median follow-up 14.9 years (n = 1151189) Evidence C source
  No association highest vs lowest acrylamide exposure for each non-gynecological site; mean intake 23 ug/day; lung cancer raised only in smokers

What people believe that the data does not support

• FDA notes that acrylamide doses causing cancer in laboratory animals were much higher than levels found in human food. — US food supply, FDA consumer information on acrylamide Evidence E source
  No consumer advice to stop eating any food; animal cancer seen only at doses far above dietary levels

Who this works differently for

• In 53,870 mother-newborn pairs, the highest acrylamide biomarker quartile in pregnancy was tied to 20% higher odds of small-for-gestational-age birth. — mother-newborn pairs in five epidemiological studies (n = 53870) Evidence C source
  SGA OR 1.20 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.33); birth weight -131 g (95% CI -204 to -58) in highest AA-Hb quartile
• The CDC lists cooked or raw whole corn kernels among potential choking hazards for young children. — Infants and young children (n = -) Evidence E source
  Listed as food to avoid for young children (choking risk)

The bottom line

What acrylamide means for someone eating snacks is less settled than that number suggests. Pooled cohorts of 1,151,189 adults followed for a median 14.9 years found no link between the highest and lowest dietary acrylamide intake and any site-specific cancer studied, though intake came from questionnaires and gynecological cancers were left out. FDA says the doses that caused cancer in laboratory animals were much greater than those found in human food, and it gives no advice to stop eating any food. Popcorn, the nearest relative with pooled data, averaged 459.6 ug/kg across 6 studies, with lower levels in microwaved corn. Pregnancy is the one group with a separate signal. In 53,870 mother and newborn pairs, women in the highest quartile of an acrylamide blood marker had 20% higher odds of a small-for-gestational-age baby (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.33). That marker also picks up smoking and is not tied to any one food, so this is an association and says nothing specific about corn nuts. We found no study on whether eating raw, unroasted corn nut kernels is safe, and nothing here covers giving these whole kernels to young children, so this page does not show that they suit them. Two findings about maize in general sometimes come up. In a randomized study of 40 adults in Soweto, alkaline cooking called nixtamalization cut fumonisin B1 and B2 in moldy maize by 95%, but that was maize for porridge, and not every corn nut is made this way. In 5 women, in a study that was not randomized, tortillas from low-phytate maize raised calcium absorption from 35% to 50% compared with ordinary maize. If you are watching your salt, the bag size on the label tells you more than anything else on this page.

Sources

1. crnz-r1-01 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 54401011 Corn nuts, fdc_id 2708195: Energy 446 kcal | Carbohydrate, by difference 71.86 g | Fiber, total dietary 6.9 g | Protein 8.5 g | Sodium 564 mg | Fatty acids, total monounsaturated 9.46 g per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 (FoodData Central) · checked 2026-10-02
2. crnz-r1-07 · food analysis survey
   The acrylamide content ranged from 1.9 to 799 ng/g in corn cracker-bread sample and corn nut bulk sample, respectively.
   Zilic S et al., Assessment of acrylamide content in corn-based snack products marketed in Serbia, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 135, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02
3. crnz-r1-02 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 54401011 Corn nuts, fdc_id 2708195: 1 nut 2 g | 1 small single serving bag 28 g | 1 medium single serving bag 57 g | 1 large single serving bag 85 g | 1 cup 95 g || 28 g: 124.9 kcal, Sodium 157.9 mg, Fiber 1.9 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 (FoodData Central) · checked 2026-10-02
4. crnz-r1-04 · crossover clinical trial
   At 1-mo intervals, 5 healthy adult women were fed 2 test meals of approximately 140 g tortillas in lieu of breakfast. ... Mean fractional absorption of calcium from tortillas prepared from the low-phytate maize (0.50 +/- 0.03) was significantly (P = 0.003) greater than that from tortillas prepared from the control maize (0.35 +/- 0.07).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2005 · checked 2026-10-02
5. crnz-r1-03 · randomized controlled trial
   Forty adult healthy volunteers from an informal settlement in Kliptown, Soweto (South Africa), were randomly assigned to consume control maize or visibly moldy maize subjected to nixtamalization. Nixtamalization achieved a reduction in fumonisin B3 and deoxynivalenol (DON) to unquantifiable or undetectable levels in maize, while reducing fumonisin B1 (FB1), fumonisin B2, and zearalenone (ZEN) by 95%, 95%, and 89%, respectively.
   Toxins (Basel), 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
6. crnz-r1-06 · meta-analysis of food measurements
   Microwaved corn contains lower amounts of acrylamide than other methods of preparation. ... The overall value of acrylamide concentration in popcorns was calculated to be 459.6 ± 220.3 μg/kg.
   Rev Environ Health, 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
7. crnz-r1-05 · umbrella review
   In various cardiovascular risk populations, moderate to high certainty evidence suggested that lower sodium intake reduced systolic blood pressure (BP) by -8.69 to -2.00 mmHg, and had concordant but smaller effects on diastolic BP.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
8. crnz-r1-08 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
   Out of 1,994 papers screened, 31 were eligible (total of 16 studies), which included 1,151,189 participants in total, out of whom 48,175 developed cancer during the median follow-up period of 14.9 years (range 7.3-33.9). The mean estimated dose of dietary acrylamide across studies was 23 μg/day. Pooled analysis showed no association between the highest vs. lowest dietary acrylamide exposure and each site-specific cancer investigated, with no evidence of thresholds in the dose-response meta-analysis.
   Front Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
9. crnz-r1-10 · agency position
   In research studies, high levels of acrylamide caused cancer in laboratory animals, but the levels of acrylamide used in these studies were much greater than those found in human food.
   U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Acrylamide (page updated 2024-03-05) · checked 2026-10-02
10. crnz-r1-09 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    Out of 169 records identified, five original studies were eligible, including 53,870 mother-newborn pairs in total. ... Higher risk of SGA and lower birth weight and head circumference were observed in the highest quartile of AA-Hb [odds ratio (OR): 1.20 (95% CI: 1.08; 1.33); mean difference (MD): -131 g (95% CI: -204; -58) and -0.31 cm (95% CI: -0.58; -0.04), respectively]
    Environ Res, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
11. sf-choke-r2-3 · agency advice
    Cooked or raw whole corn kernels.
    CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition: Choking Hazards · checked 2026-10-08