Research Says Eating This Snack May Give You a Brain Boost—But Only For Some People

Key Points

New research suggests that almonds can help boost cognitive health.A daily serving of the nuts may support better executive function and faster processing speed in people with prediabetes. Experts say other nuts are likely to offer similar benefits.

More than two in five Americans have prediabetes, a condition where you have elevated blood sugar levels, but they’re not so high that they qualify you for type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is usually seen as a wake-up call to try to turn things around with blood sugar management, but it can also be associated with a higher-than-usual risk of cognitive decline and brain health changes. Now, a new, small randomized trial suggests that snacking on almonds can help boost cognitive health, even when you’re dealing with prediabetes.

The study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, suggests that noshing on almonds is associated with better performance on cognitive tests in people with prediabetes. But because researchers only tested the impact of almonds on cognitive health, it's tough to say whether this is an overall nut thing or if it’s limited to just almonds—and what we can extrapolate to almond-eaters who don’t have prediabetes. Here’s what the researchers found, plus what a neurologist and dietitian want you to keep in mind about this news.

Meet the experts: Anna Hohler, MD, director of neurology for Northwell in Westchester, chair of neurology at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco and chief of neurology at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow and Keri Gans, RD, a dietitian and the author of The Small Change Diet.

What did the study find?

Researchers recruited 60 people with prediabetes who were between the ages of 40 and 60, and divided them into two groups. One group was given standard dietary and exercise counseling; The other was given the same counseling, but also asked to incorporate a daily serving of raw, unroasted almonds into their day for six months. The almonds were designed to provide 20 percent of the participants’ calorie needs, which translated to about one to 1.4 ounces of almonds a day.

People in the almond group were also asked to replace some of the fats that they cooked with, along with carb-rich cereals that they ate with the almonds.

Researchers assessed the participants' cognitive performance at the start of the trial and again after six months. They used online tests that required participants to match patterns, follow visual cues, and complete spatial arrangements. They also took blood samples to track blood sugar, insulin production, inflammation, and cellular stress.

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At the end of the study, the researchers found that people in the almond group performed better on executive function tasks and visual problems compared to those in the control group. They also had faster processing speeds and reacted more quickly to tests compared to when they started the trial. (People in the control group didn’t see a change in reaction times.) Not only that, people in the almond group lost weight and had better blood sugar management compared to the start of the study.

“These findings suggest that almonds provide dual cognitive and metabolic benefits in this high-risk population,” the researchers wrote in the conclusion.

Why might almonds boost your brain?

There are a few important caveats to flag here. The study was funded by the Almond Board of California, although the organization didn’t play a role in how the study was designed or how the data was collected and analyzed.

All of that said, experts have a few theories on what could be behind this. “Prediabetes is associated with impaired glucose regulation and insulin resistance, which can affect the body's ability to efficiently provide energy to the brain,” says Anna Hohler, MD, director of neurology for Northwell in Westchester, chair of neurology at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco and chief of neurology at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow. Almonds are rich in fiber, protein, healthy unsaturated fats, magnesium, and antioxidants, nutrients that may help improve blood sugar management, reduce inflammation, and lower oxidative stress, she points out.

“By improving metabolic health, almonds may indirectly help to protect neurological functioning,” Dr. Hohler says.

Keri Gans, RD, a dietitian and the author of The Small Change Diet, agrees that all of these elements may help. “That said, this is one study, so it’s too soon to conclude that eating almonds daily will prevent cognitive decline,” she says. “It’s another piece of evidence suggesting that overall diet may play an important role in brain health.”

Can this help people without prediabetes?

Possibly. “The nutrients found in almonds, including vitamin E, healthy fats, and antioxidant compounds, are beneficial for overall brain health regardless of diabetes status,” Dr. Hohler says. But she stresses that because the study looked at people with prediabetes, it’s hard to say for sure how the findings may apply to everyone else.

“That said, a diet rich in nuts, fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods has consistently been associated with better cognitive aging and brain health,” Dr. Hohler says.

Could other nuts deliver the same results?

It’s likely, according to Dr. Hohler. “Walnuts are particularly noteworthy because they contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid associated with brain health,” she says. “Pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans, and peanuts also provide healthy fats, antioxidants, and nutrients that support vascular and metabolic health.”

There’s no one superfood snack that will dramatically alter your brain health, Gans points out. “But nutrient-rich choices can certainly contribute to an overall brain-healthy eating pattern,” she says. “The goal is variety and consistency, not reliance on any one ‘superfood.’”

Carina Hsieh, MPH, is the deputy features editor of Women’s Health. She has more than a decade’s worth of experience working in media and has covered everything from beauty, fashion, travel, lifestyle, pets, to health.

She began her career as an intern in the fashion closet at Cosmopolitan where she worked her way up to Senior Sex & Relationships Editor. While covering women’s health there, she discovered her passion for health service journalism and took a break to get her Masters in Public Health. Post-grad school, she worked as a freelance writer and as The Daily Beast’s first Beauty, Health, and Wellness Reporter.

Carina is an alum of the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Yale School of Public Health. She and her French Bulldog, Bao Bao, split their time between Brooklyn and Connecticut. She enjoys reformer Pilates, (slow) running, and smelling the fancy toiletries in boutique fitness class locker rooms.

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