Macadamia Nut Benefits
· Food Team
Macadamia nut is an evergreen tree and dicotyledonous plant.
The crown of the tree is tall, with 3 to 4 whorled leaves, lanceolate, leathery, smooth, with spiny serrations on the edges. The racemes are axillary, the flowers are beige, the fruit is spherical, the pericarp is textured, the endocarp is hard, and the seed kernel is beige to light brown.
It is a tree nut native to Australia but is now grown in different parts of the world, including Hawaii and parts of Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
While nuts have often been avoided in the past due to their high-fat content, research shows that all nuts offer a variety of health benefits, especially when consumed in moderate amounts each day.
Rich benefits of macadamia nuts:
1. Reduce the risk of heart disease
Studies have found that eating macadamia nuts can reduce risk factors for heart disease. It also lowers total cholesterol, LDL or "bad" cholesterol, and triglycerides. Replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts, can increase levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol.
2. Prevent cancer
Macadamia nuts contain a type of vitamin E called tocotrienols. Tocotrienols may have powerful anti-cancer capabilities. Macadamia nuts contain high amounts of tocotrienols. Macadamia nuts also contain plant compounds called flavonoids, which may fight cancer by destroying harmful free radicals in the body.
3. Protect the brain
In addition to their potential anti-cancer abilities, tocotrienols also have brain-protective effects.
Tocotrienol-rich supplements help protect brain cells from the effects of glutamate, which may play a role in the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Oleic acid, one of the major monounsaturated fats in macadamia nuts, may protect the brain from certain oxidative stresses.
4. Prevent thrombosis
Macadamia nuts have a biphasic regulatory effect on blood lipids, which can effectively reduce blood viscosity, thereby preventing atherosclerosis and effectively protecting the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems.
5. Feeling of satiety
Macadamia nuts contain protein, lots of good fats, and fiber. Together, these nutrients can help a person feel fuller for longer. Fat takes longer to digest, while protein and fiber help prevent large changes in blood sugar that can make a person feel hungry.
6. Reduce metabolic syndrome
Macadamia nuts may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome includes risk factors like high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood sugar, and abdominal fat, all of which increase the risk of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. Exercise and a healthy diet can mitigate these risks.
7. Digestive health
The soluble fiber in macadamia nuts can act like a prebiotic, nourishing the good bacteria in your gut and improving digestive health. Prebiotics may also help reduce inflammation and provide some help for irritable bowel syndrome and other similar conditions, but more research is needed.