Measuring digestibility, researchers find almonds provide 20% fewer calories than label states

Sept. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- A study conducted by scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides a new understanding of California almonds calorie count, showing that whole almonds provide about 20 percent fewer calories than originally thought.
This study is significant because we know that almonds have always been a nutritious, heart-smart choice that aids satiety; now we know that they provide even fewer calories than originally thought. In the study’s discussion section, the authors considered the potential implications of substituting other foods with almonds in a calorie-controlled study. Based on the data, "When an 84-g serving of almonds was incorporated into the diet daily, the energy digestibility of the diet as a whole decreased by 5%. Therefore, for individuals with energy intakes between 2000 and 3000 kcal/d, incorporation of 84 g almonds into the diet daily in exchange for [the same number of calories from] highly digestible foods would result in a reduction of available energy of 100–150 kcal/d. With a weight-reduction diet, this deficit could result in more than a pound of weight loss per month."
The study results pose the question, how can a food's calorie count suddenly change when the composition of the food itself hasn't? The answer is that David Baer, PhD, and his team from USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) added new dimensions to the method of measuring the calories in California almonds, which built on traditional methods and allowed the researchers to determine the number of calories actually digested and absorbed from almonds. Resulting data showed a one-ounce serving of almonds (23 almonds) has 129 available calories versus the 160 calories previously thought to be provided per 28-gram serving.

This study begs the question “Is a calorie a calorie?” According to Dr. Ishi Khosla, health counselor and nutritionist, “The results of this research suggest that all calories are not equal. The way calories are absorbed and metabolized in the body can differ based on the structure and composition of foods, and now we understand that at least for California almonds, not all calories are equally available to the body.”  

It is well-known that a handful of California almonds are the perfect addition to your breakfast. Scientific research suggests that eating almonds everyday may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease. Almonds contain more protein, dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin, and niacin than any other tree nut.

Scientific evidence suggests that eating 1.5 ounces (42 grams) per day of most nuts, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. In 2003, the United States Food and Drug Administration released a health claim recognizing that California Almonds can help decrease your risk of heart disease. A handful contains 13 grams of unsaturated fat, only 1 gram of saturated fat and no cholesterol.


Study Summary:
The study was conducted to determine the energy value of almonds in the human diet and to compare the measured energy value with the value calculated from Atwater factors, the primary method used to determine the energy content of foods.

This study provides evidence that almonds provide approximately 20 percent fewer metabolizable calories than originally thought. The Atwater factors, when applied to certain foods, may result in overestimation of their measured metabolizable energy content. Traditional methods overstated the calories from almonds because they do not account for the fat that is not fully absorbed. This is thought to be due, in part, to the fiber content and/or the rigidity of almond cell walls.

For more information on the Almond Board of California or almonds, visit AlmondBoard.com.

About the Almond Board of California:
Consumers all over the world enjoy California Almonds as a natural, wholesome and quality food product, making almonds California’s leading agricultural export in terms of value. The Almond Board of California promotes almonds through its research-based approach to all aspects of marketing, farming and production on behalf of the more than 6,000 California Almond growers and processors, many of whom are multi-generational family operations. Established in 1950 and based in Modesto, California, the Almond Board of California is a non-profit organization that administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture.