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Eating roughly a handful of nuts each day was associated with a 20% lower risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis published August 4 in the British Journal of Nutrition.
The analysis, reported by Healthline, examined eight prospective studies involving 143,380 adults between the ages of 18 and 87. During the follow-up periods across those studies, researchers identified 20,665 cases of hypertension. Each additional 28-gram serving of nuts consumed per day was associated with a 20% lower risk of developing the condition.
When researchers compared people who ate the most nuts with those who ate the least, higher intake was linked to a 16% lower risk. The clearest benefit appeared at around 30 grams per day, which was associated with a 26% lower risk compared to eating no nuts at all. Researchers did not find evidence that eating even larger amounts reduced risk further.
The findings add to a body of earlier research connecting nut consumption to lower cardiovascular disease risk. However, prior studies looking specifically at nuts and blood pressure have produced mixed results, and this analysis does not settle the question definitively.
"Because this was based on observational studies, we cannot say that eating nuts directly caused the lower risk," said Michelle Routhenstein, a Preventive Cardiology Dietitian at Entirely Nourished, who was not involved in the study.
Routhenstein was clear about what the findings do and do not mean. "That does not mean nuts prevent or treat high blood pressure on their own. Rather, they can be a really helpful part of an overall heart-healthy eating pattern," she said.
Nuts contain several nutrients that researchers believe may support healthy blood pressure. Those include fiber, unsaturated fats, magnesium, potassium, plant-based protein, and vitamins E, K, C, and several B vitamins. Magnesium, for example, may act as a natural calcium channel blocker, helping blood vessels relax and widen in a process called vasodilation. Potassium may help reduce the effects of sodium and ease tension in blood vessel walls.
Experts also pointed to preparation as a key factor. The type of nut may matter less than how it is prepared, with unsalted or lightly salted options helping to limit sodium intake, which itself is a known contributor to high blood pressure. Heavily salted nuts could potentially offset any benefit from the other nutrients they contain.
The study's observational design means researchers could not control for every other variable that might explain the connection between nut consumption and lower blood pressure risk. People who eat more nuts may also follow healthier diets overall, exercise more, or have other lifestyle habits that independently reduce their hypertension risk. The analysis cannot separate those factors from the effect of nuts alone.
Still, the consistency of the association across eight separate studies, covering more than 143,000 people and more than 20,000 hypertension cases, gives researchers reason to take the findings seriously. The 30-gram threshold, roughly equivalent to a small handful, is a practical and accessible amount for most people to incorporate into a daily diet.
The results point toward nuts as one component of a broader heart-healthy eating pattern rather than a standalone treatment or preventive measure for high blood pressure.
