The Right Chemistry: Cracking a nut conundrum

Health conscious consumers have made bags of activated nuts trendy. But are they activating anything other than cash registers?

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The question took me by surprise. “Do you really have to activate your nuts?” Just as a plethora of strange mental images began to bubble through my mind, I learned that we were talking about tree nuts.

“Activation” does not refer to poking sleeping nuts; it refers to soaking and then drying raw varieties before consuming them. The aim is to increase nutritional value. And profit margins for processors.

Although “activated” on the label is synonymous with “expensive,” affluent health conscious consumers have made bags of activated nuts trendy. Are they activating anything other than cash registers?

The hype of especially “healthy” foods is rarely corroborated by science, but there is usually a kernel of truth that is germinated and then fertilized with cherry-picked data to yield a crop of questionable value. “Activated nuts” follow this pattern.

Nuts are the seeds of plants and are equipped with the nutrients needed for plant growth, including a host of proteins, fats, starches, minerals, vitamins, sterols and protease inhibitors — all needed for a seed to germinate and go on to produce a plant.

Sterols are essential components of plant membranes and protease inhibitors are proteins produced by plants to protect themselves from insects by interfering with the action of proteases, enzymes insects use to digest plants they have dined on. Basically they give insects a tummy ache. But protease inhibitors can also interfere with human digestion. Soaking leaches them out, reducing the problem.

One of the essential elements needed for plant growth is phosphorus, which seeds store as a component of a compound called phytic acid. However, phytic acid can also bind essential minerals such as iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc that may be present in food, preventing them from being absorbed into the bloodstream during digestion. Phytic acid is also found in beans, grains and various seeds, meaning that a high consumption of these can result in mineral deficiency. But soaking beans and nuts unleashes a host of chemical reactions that collectively are referred to as “germination.” Enzymes called phytases are generated to break down phytic acid and release phosphorus, as well as any bound minerals for easier absorption.

All this suggests that “activation” by soaking beans, grains and nuts improves their nutritional value. But there is another side to phytic acid and phytates, the term for compounds in which minerals are bound to phytic acid. They have purported health benefits, so there may be a consequence to eliminating them from the diet.

One of the risk factors for colon cancer is too high an iron intake, linked to high meat consumption. Vegetarians have a lower rate of colon cancer and one suggestion has been that they are protected by their intake of phytic acid that ends up reducing iron absorption. So, should we listen to the Paleo community that tells us that phytic acid is an “anti-nutrient,” and that foods containing it should be shunned, to the “nut activators” who claim that soaking nuts makes them healthier by eliminating phytic acid, or to researchers who have linked phytic acid to reduced risk of cancer as well as diabetes, kidney stone formation and heart disease?

What about supplement manufacturers who market inositol hexaphosphate, another term for phytic acid, with oblique suggestions of efficacy in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, depression and side effects of chemotherapy based on some inconclusive, preliminary experiments?

Each of these positions can be supported by selective reporting of data, but the bottom line is that neither phytic acid nor phytates are drugs or poisons, and for the vast majority of the public their presence or absence in nuts is irrelevant. We do not rely on nuts as our sole source of minerals or of phytic acid and a balanced diet will provide adequate amounts of both.

In any case, the nuts we consume are not truly “raw.” They have been either roasted or blanched to inactivate natural toxins, and in the process their phytic content has been significantly reduced and soaking provides no further benefit.

Nuts, whether activated or not, can make a valuable contribution to the diet. A number of studies have shown a reduced incidence of heart disease and gallstone formation associated with nut consumption. There have also been trends toward reduced risk of hypertension, cancer and inflammation.

Interventional studies have shown that nuts can have a cholesterol reducing effect, likely due to their sterol content. Sterols have a chemical similarity to cholesterol and can block cholesterol absorption. Contrary to expectations, epidemiologic studies and clinical trials suggest that nuts — despite their high fat content — are unlikely to contribute to obesity and may even help in weight loss.

Just about the only health issue is the possibility of an allergic reaction. And there is another bonus with nuts. They taste good. I buy the roasted, unsalted variety. They are active enough for me.



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