Do almonds help with weight loss?

Barely. The largest review, a 2024 meta-analysis of 37 randomized trials in adults, found eating almonds lowered body weight by 0.99 lb (0.45 kg) against control (95% CI 0.05 to 0.85), on moderate certainty evidence. That loss appeared only in trials where the comparison diet had no nuts at all. Against other snacks or other nuts, almonds made no difference to weight.

Established. Eating almonds did not lead to weight gain in the trials. A 2021 network meta-analysis of 105 trials of nuts, with body weight measured in 6,768 people, found nut-enriched diets did not raise weight or other measures of body fat.

Myth. Almonds do not make weight come off by themselves. In a year-long trial of 136 habitual snackers and a calorie-cut diet trial of 140 adults, almonds did no better than biscuits or carbohydrate snacks with the same calories.

What the trials found

The meta-analyses

Besides the 0.99 lb (0.45 kg), the 2024 meta-analysis found waist size fell by 0.26 in (0.66 cm) and fat mass by 1.5 lb (0.66 kg). BMI did not change (-0.20 kg/m2, 95% CI -0.46 to 0.05), and neither did body fat percentage or visceral fat, where the certainty of evidence was very low. The loss was larger at more than 1.8 oz (50 g) of almonds a day, after 12 weeks or more, and in people with a BMI under 30. The full text was not available to us, so those subgroups come from the abstract.

An earlier 2019 meta-analysis of 15 trials in 534 healthy adults or adults at risk of cardiovascular disease, each lasting at least 3 weeks, found a larger fall of 3.1 lb (95% CI 0.66 to 5.5; metric: 1.39 kg, 0.30 to 2.49). Its authors describe wide differences in dose and design between the trials, and some of the trials were funded by industry. The 2021 network analysis found almond diets reduced waist size against control diets and against pistachio, hazelnut and mixed nut diets. Its abstract does not give the size.

Head to head with other snacks

The longest trial put 136 non-obese adults who snack regularly on either almonds or biscuits with the same calories every day for a year. Body weight changed no differently between the groups (P = 0.275), and neither did body composition. In 69 adults with obesity, 2 oz (57 g) of almonds a day for six weeks did not change body weight or appetite ratings against an equal-calorie cookie. Weight was a secondary outcome in that short trial.

In 140 adults with overweight or obesity on a diet cut by 30% of their energy needs, the group eating almonds lost 15 lb (7.0 kg) over 3 months, and so did the group eating carbohydrate snacks. During six further months of maintenance they lost another 2.4 and 2.9 lb (1.1 and 1.3 kg). The calorie deficit produced the loss, and almonds did not get in its way. In the same trial, fasting ghrelin, a hunger hormone, fell with almonds and rose with the snack bars, yet everyone reported more hunger over time.

Why almonds may add less weight than their calories suggest

A 2023 systematic review of 21 human and laboratory studies found the body takes up fewer calories from nuts than the standard label factors predict, about 18.5 kJ per gram for raw almonds. Whole raw nuts released less energy than nut flour, nut butter or roasted nuts. The review did not pool its studies, whose methods differed, and it may help explain why almonds did not add weight in the trials, without showing that they cause weight loss.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. Almond is one of the tree nuts, and anyone with a tree nut allergy should avoid it. A systematic review of 36 population studies found allergy confirmed by a supervised food challenge in under 2% of people, with probable allergy from 0.05 to 4.9%. Only seven of those studies used the challenge test. Almond was among the most reported tree nut allergies in the UK.

One case report describes a 59-year-old woman with controlled high blood pressure who ate five handfuls of almonds and six tablespoons of chia seeds a day to manage irritable bowel symptoms. Her creatinine rose from 1.3 to 1.8 mg/dL, a biopsy showed calcium oxalate in the kidney, and she improved on a low-oxalate diet. Her diet combined almonds with chia seeds, so the case cannot pin the damage on almonds alone. That is one person at a dose far above the 42.5 to 57 g used in the trials. If you have had oxalate kidney stones or have kidney disease, large daily amounts are worth raising with your doctor.

We have no cards on almonds and weight in children or in pregnancy.

What expert bodies say

We found no position from a US or European body on almonds and weight. The EU register of health claims holds only rejected almond claims, all about cholesterol, and none about weight.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A trial of 12 months or longer in adults with obesity, where almonds replace usual snacks rather than being added to them, with weight as the main outcome. We found none under way.
• A meta-analysis that splits results by who funded the trials.

Nutrition facts and more on the nut itself are on the almonds page.

Sources

1. ev-almwl-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 37 trials
   Pooled effect sizes indicated a significant reducing effect of almond consumption on body weight (WMD: -0.45 kg, 95% CI: -0.85, -0.05, p = 0.026)
   
   Who: adults in 37 RCTs (43 treatment arms) of almond consumption versus control
   Effect: body weight WMD -0.99 lb (95% CI -1.9 to -0.11; metric: -0.45 kg, -0.85 to -0.05); waist circumference -0.26 in (-0.5 to -0.02; metric: -0.66 cm, -1.27 to -0.04); fat mass -1.5 lb (-2.6 to -0.37; metric: -0.66 kg, -1.16 to -0.17); GRADE moderate for weight
   Certainty: Half a kilogram is clinically small; more than 50 g/day and 12+ weeks, in people with BMI < 30. Full text not in PMC.
   Obes Rev, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-almwl-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 37 trials
   However, almond did not have a significant effect on BMI (WMD: -0.20 kg m-2, 95% CI: -0.46, 0.05, p = 0.122)
   
   Who: adults in RCTs of almond consumption versus control
   Effect: BMI WMD -0.20 kg/m2 (95% CI -0.46 to 0.05); body fat percent -0.39% (-0.93 to 0.14), not significant
   Certainty: GRADE for percent fat and visceral fat is very low.
   Obes Rev, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-almwl-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs, subgroup analysis · n = 37 trials
   Furthermore, a significant reduction in body weight and WC was observed in those trials that used a nut-free diet as a control group, but not in those using snacks and other nuts.
   
   Who: RCT subgroups by control type: nut-free diet versus snacks or other nuts
   Effect: significant reduction in body weight and waist only against nut-free control diets
   Certainty: The reduction is seen only versus a diet without nuts; in comparisons with other snacks or nuts there was no significant reduction.
   Obes Rev, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-almwl-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 534
   Almond intervention significantly decreased total cholesterol (summary net change: -10.69 mg/dL; 95% CI: -16.75, -4.63 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (summary net change: -5.83 mg/dL; 95% CI: -9.91, -1.75 mg/dL); body weight (summary net change: -1.39 kg; 95% CI: -2.49, -0.30 kg)
   
   Who: healthy adults or adults at risk of cardiovascular disease in 15 RCTs of at least 3 weeks, almond dose closest to 42.5 g
   Effect: body weight net change -3.1 lb (95% CI -5.5 to -0.66; metric: -1.39 kg, -2.49 to -0.30)
   Certainty: The authors write of substantial heterogeneity of doses and interventions; the studies were partly funded by industry.
   Adv Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-almwl-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and network meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 6768
   Moreover, almond-enriched diets significantly reduced WC compared to the control diet and to the pistachio-, mixed nuts-, and hazelnut-enriched diets.
   
   Who: participants in 105 RCTs of tree nuts and peanuts; body weight measured in 6768
   Effect: no increase in adiposity measures with nuts; almond-enriched diets reduced waist circumference versus control and versus pistachio, mixed nut and hazelnut diets
   Certainty: Effect size on waist not given in the abstract.
   Nutrients, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-almwl-06 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized controlled trial · n = 140
   An energy-restricted AED resulted in weight loss and weight loss maintenance comparable to an energy-restricted NFD, and both diets supported cardiometabolic health.
   
   Who: adults aged 25-65 with overweight or obesity (BMI 27.5-34.9) on a 30% energy-restricted diet with almonds (n=68) or carbohydrate-rich snacks (n=72), then 6 months maintenance
   Effect: weight change -15 lb (-7.0 kg) in both groups at 3 months (p = 0.858); -2.4 vs -2.9 lb (-1.1 vs -1.3 kg) further during maintenance
   Certainty: Weight loss came from a calorie deficit, not almonds; almonds did not spoil it.
   Obesity (Silver Spring), 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-almwl-07 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · pragmatic randomized controlled trial · n = 136
   The difference in changes for body weight from baseline to 12 mo was not statistically significant (geometric means: 67.1 and 69.5 kg for almonds and 66.3 and 66.3 kg for biscuits, P = 0.275).
   
   Who: nonobese habitual discretionary snackers given almonds or biscuits daily for 1 year (at least 42.5 g almonds equivalent)
   Effect: no significant difference in body weight change at 12 months (P = 0.275); no difference in body composition
   Certainty: The longest RCT; the diet became higher quality, weight did not.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-almwl-08 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized controlled parallel-arm trial · n = 69
   No significant group differences were observed for innate immune cell counts, body weight, appetite ratings, blood pressure, or serum fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (C), LDL-C, and triglycerides over six weeks.
   
   Who: adults aged 30-45 with obesity (BMI 30-45) given 57 g/day almonds (n=38) or an isocaloric cookie (n=31) for six weeks
   Effect: no significant group difference in body weight or appetite ratings
   Certainty: Short (6 weeks), weight is a secondary outcome.
   Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-almwl-09 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized controlled trial · n = 140
   Fasting ghrelin decreased in AL and increased in SB (group x time, p = 0.011), while leptin had a greater increase in AL versus SB post-WM (group x time, p = 0.001).
   
   Who: adults aged 25-65 with BMI 27.5-34.9 consuming almonds (n=68) or carbohydrate-rich snack bars (n=72) during weight loss and maintenance diets
   Effect: fasting ghrelin fell with almonds and rose with snack bars (group x time p = 0.011); subjective hunger rose over time in all participants
   Certainty: Hormonal indicators, not weight; the same cohort as in card 06.
   Obes Res Clin Pract, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-almwl-10 · Observational data · systematic review with narrative synthesis of human and in vitro studies · n = 21 studies
    The ME of nuts was consistently lower than that predicted by Atwater factors for investigated nut types (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and peanuts).
    
    Who: 21 human and in vitro studies of the metabolizable energy of tree nuts and peanuts
    Effect: metabolizable energy lower than Atwater-predicted for almonds and other nuts; raw almonds 18.5 kJ/g; whole raw nuts release less than flour, butter or roasted
    Certainty: No meta-analysis, study methods differ; explains why almonds do not add weight, but does not establish weight loss.
    Adv Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
11. ev-almwl-11 · Observational data · systematic review of prevalence studies · n = 36 studies
    Challenge-confirmed IgE-mediated tree nut allergy prevalence was less than 2 % (although only seven studies used this gold standard) while probable tree nut allergy prevalence ranged from 0.05 to 4.9 %.
    
    Who: children and adults in 36 population prevalence studies of tree nut allergy
    Effect: challenge-confirmed IgE-mediated tree nut allergy prevalence below 2%; probable 0.05 to 4.9%
    Certainty: Only 7 studies used a food challenge; with tree nut allergy, almond is excluded.
    Curr Allergy Asthma Rep, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
12. ev-almwl-12 · Laboratory or animal data · case report · n = 1
    Diet included six tablespoons of chia seeds and five handfuls of almonds daily to manage IBS symptoms.
    
    Who: a 59-year-old woman with controlled hypertension on a high-oxalate diet for IBS
    Effect: creatinine rose from 1.3 to 1.8 mg/dL; biopsy showed calcium oxalate deposition; improved on a low-oxalate diet
    Certainty: A single case, dose far beyond the RCTs (42.5-57 g); a signal for people with oxalate stones or CKD.
    BMJ Case Rep, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract