Background: Caloric consumption in excess leads to weight gain. Consuming nuts, in particular almonds, on a regular basis would likely increase overall caloric intake due to their high fat content, assuming complete digestion and absorption. However, multiple studies report no significant change in body weight when subjects consume nut-rich diets.
Objective: The objective of this study is to measure the effects of almond consumption on stool composition, particularly individual fatty acid content.
Design: Subjects participated in a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding study. Following a 2-week run-in period on a typical American diet (34% energy from fat), subjects were randomized to the Step I diet, low almond diet and high almond diet (0%, 10% or 20% isoenergetic replacement of Step I diet with almonds respectively), for four weeks each. Stool samples were analyzed for total fatty acid and individual fatty acid content.
Results:There was a significant increase in total fat and individual fatty acids excreted on diets with greater amounts of energy from almonds (P-trend
Conclusions: The amount of total fat and individual fatty acids excreted is greater on diets providing 20% of energy as almonds compared to a Step I diet. The fatty acid profile in stool reflects the fatty acid composition of almonds. Excretion of fat, particularly from almonds, may explain why weight balance is achieved with daily consumption of ~68 g of almonds.
","abstract_html":"<p><strong>Background:</strong> Caloric consumption in excess leads to weight gain. Consuming nuts, in particular almonds, on a regular basis would likely increase overall caloric intake due to their high fat content, assuming complete digestion and absorption. However, multiple studies report no significant change in body weight when subjects consume nut-rich diets.</p> <p><strong>Objective:</strong> The objective of this study is to measure the effects of almond consumption on stool composition, particularly individual fatty acid content.</p> <p><strong>Design:</strong> Subjects participated in a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding study. Following a 2-week run-in period on a typical American diet (34% energy from fat), subjects were randomized to the Step I diet, low almond diet and high almond diet (0%, 10% or 20% isoenergetic replacement of Step I diet with almonds respectively), for four weeks each. Stool samples were analyzed for total fatty acid and individual fatty acid content.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong>There was a significant increase in total fat and individual fatty acids excreted on diets with greater amounts of energy from almonds (P-trend</p> <p><strong>Conclusions</strong>: The amount of total fat and individual fatty acids excreted is greater on diets providing 20% of energy as almonds compared to a Step I diet. The fatty acid profile in stool reflects the fatty acid composition of almonds. Excretion of fat, particularly from almonds, may explain why weight balance is achieved with daily consumption of ~68 g of almonds.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Zemaitis, Janine Alisha"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Joan Sabaté","Raymond G. Hall, Jr.","Sujatha Rajaram"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2005,"date_issued":"2005-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2005-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:53:31Z","subjects":["Human and Clinical Nutrition","Fatty Acids; Dietary Fats; Nutrition; Nuts -- metabolism."],"languages":["English"],"rights":["This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/824","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Joan Sabaté","Raymond G. Hall, Jr.","Sujatha Rajaram"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Zemaitis, Janine Alisha"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Human and Clinical Nutrition","Fatty Acids; Dietary Fats; Nutrition; Nuts -- metabolism."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/824"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Background: Caloric consumption in excess leads to weight gain. Consuming nuts, in particular almonds, on a regular basis would likely increase overall caloric intake due to their high fat content, assuming complete digestion and absorption. However, multiple studies report no significant change in body weight when subjects consume nut-rich diets.
Objective: The objective of this study is to measure the effects of almond consumption on stool composition, particularly individual fatty acid content.
Design: Subjects participated in a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding study. Following a 2-week run-in period on a typical American diet (34% energy from fat), subjects were randomized to the Step I diet, low almond diet and high almond diet (0%, 10% or 20% isoenergetic replacement of Step I diet with almonds respectively), for four weeks each. Stool samples were analyzed for total fatty acid and individual fatty acid content.
Results:There was a significant increase in total fat and individual fatty acids excreted on diets with greater amounts of energy from almonds (P-trend
Conclusions: The amount of total fat and individual fatty acids excreted is greater on diets providing 20% of energy as almonds compared to a Step I diet. The fatty acid profile in stool reflects the fatty acid composition of almonds. Excretion of fat, particularly from almonds, may explain why weight balance is achieved with daily consumption of ~68 g of almonds.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Effect of Almond Intake on Fecal Fat Excretion in Healthy Adults"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Joan Sabaté","Raymond G. Hall, Jr.","Sujatha Rajaram"],"dc:creator":["Zemaitis, Janine Alisha"],"dc:description.abstract":["Background: Caloric consumption in excess leads to weight gain. Consuming nuts, in particular almonds, on a regular basis would likely increase overall caloric intake due to their high fat content, assuming complete digestion and absorption. However, multiple studies report no significant change in body weight when subjects consume nut-rich diets.
Objective: The objective of this study is to measure the effects of almond consumption on stool composition, particularly individual fatty acid content.
Design: Subjects participated in a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding study. Following a 2-week run-in period on a typical American diet (34% energy from fat), subjects were randomized to the Step I diet, low almond diet and high almond diet (0%, 10% or 20% isoenergetic replacement of Step I diet with almonds respectively), for four weeks each. Stool samples were analyzed for total fatty acid and individual fatty acid content.
Results:There was a significant increase in total fat and individual fatty acids excreted on diets with greater amounts of energy from almonds (P-trend
Conclusions: The amount of total fat and individual fatty acids excreted is greater on diets providing 20% of energy as almonds compared to a Step I diet. The fatty acid profile in stool reflects the fatty acid composition of almonds. Excretion of fat, particularly from almonds, may explain why weight balance is achieved with daily consumption of ~68 g of almonds.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/824"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:rights":["This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights."],"dc:subject":["Human and Clinical Nutrition","Fatty Acids; Dietary Fats; Nutrition; Nuts -- metabolism."],"dc:title":["Effect of Almond Intake on Fecal Fat Excretion in Healthy Adults"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:53:31Z"}