A recently published study from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University suggests that half a serving of nuts may aid and increase cognitive performance among older adults.

The study included 1,814 participants all above the age of 60, divided into four groups according to their nut intake: non-consumers (0 grams per day), low intake (0.1-15 g/d), moderate intake (15.1-30.0 g/d) or met recommendation (>30 g/d).

The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease or CERAD test was used to evaluate the cognitive function of each participant. This included immediate and delayed recall, verbal fluency, and processing speed and attention.

The results of the study showed a consistent difference in cognitive performance (immediate and delayed recall, verbal fluency, and processing speed and attention) between older adults who were in the non-consumers group and those in the moderate nut intake group. The lowest cognitive performance was found in older adults who did not consume any nuts and the highest scores were found in those who consumed 15.1 g/d and 30.0 g/d. Increasing consumption to over 30.0 g/d did not appear lead to higher cognitive performance compared to the moderate intake group.

This study was funded by the INC International Nut and Dried Fruit Council.

Tan, S. Y., Georgousopoulou, E. N., Cardoso, B. R., Daly, R. M., & George, E. S. (2021). Associations between nut intake, cognitive function and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in older adults in the United States: NHANES 2011-14. BMC geriatrics, 21(1), 313. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02239-1