May reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome

A metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that increase your risk of stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, including elevated blood sugar and cholesterol levels. According to research, macadamia nuts may help prevent both metabolic syndromes and type 2 diabetes. One recent study, for example, associated diets high in tree nuts, especially macadamia nuts, to lower fasting blood sugar levels.

People on the diets covered in this research ate 1-3 ounces (28-84 grams) of tree nuts per day. They had considerably lower hemoglobin A1c levels, a measure of long-term blood sugar management. Furthermore, diets high in monounsaturated fats, which account for 80 percent of the fat in macadamia nuts, may help lower metabolic syndrome risk factors, particularly in persons with type 2 diabetes. Nut consumption, in general, has been associated with decreased blood sugar and body weight in persons with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes.