Read on to find out more about macadamia nut oil nutrition facts and some of the benefits this small nut can do for your body.
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Macadamia nut oil is a wonder food that is quickly replacing unhealthy oils like vegetable and corn oil. Macadamia nuts are high in healthy fats, cholesterol-lowering compounds, and beneficial fatty acids. Macadamia nut oil in trials with animals and humans has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and obesity-fighting effects. It has reduced the severity and incidence of coronary heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases. However, some caution is required as you discover the world of macadamia nuts because some people are allergic to them, and they are extremely high in fat. Read on to find out more about macadamia nut oil nutrition facts and some of the benefits this small nut can do for your body.
Not all fat is bad. Macadamia nut oil contains an abundance of oleic acid (which can prevent autoimmune disease, cancer, and inflammation) and palmitoleic acid (which can prevent diabetes, reduce obesity, and reduce your risk of several metabolic diseases) [1, 2, 3]. Together, this can severely reduce your risk of a variety of diseases and keep your body healthy.
Hamsters fed palmitoleic acid had lower cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in their blood compared to hamsters fed coconut, canola, and safflower oil [4].
In two different clinical trials involving men with high cholesterol, macadamia nuts lowered cholesterol and reduced coronary artery disease risk [5, 6]. This indicates that macadamia nut oil may be a healthier alternative to traditional cooking oils, particularly for those with high cholesterol (or at risk of developing high cholesterol).
As an additional benefit, macadamia nut oil also had high oxidative stability and a shelf life competitive with other popular cooking oils [7].
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Cardiovascular disease is a serious problem that damages health and reduces lifespan. Researchers have found that macadamia nuts and their by-product, macadamia nut oil, have a unique fatty acid profile that seems to reduce lipoprotein risk factors, indicative of cardiovascular disease.
In a clinical trial, macadamia nuts reduced cardiovascular disease markers in male and female participants and lowered cardiovascular disease development risk [8, 9].
Chronic inflammation is an unhealthy state for your body. After wounds have healed, pathogens are destroyed, and tissues have returned to the normal state, inflammation must go back down.
Otherwise, organs and tissues will be damaged by the immune cells searching for trouble that is no longer there. However, macadamia nut oil is high in palmitoleic acid, which reduced inflammation in rats and dampened immune responses at a wound site after healing [10].
This meant wounds healed faster without excessive chronic inflammation following healing.
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A recent human clinical study suggested that participants who ate macadamia nut products ate fewer carbohydrates and sugars that are primarily responsible for the development of obesity.
The findings suggest that increasing monounsaturated fat intake and reducing carbohydrates might benefit your health, but more work remains to be done in this area [11].
Healthy fatty acids are great for you and prevent several diseases, as we’ve now seen. But, macadamia nuts are extremely high in fat [12]. That means you don’t want to eat a large serving at a time or use too much macadamia nut oil in your cooking. Like all fats, a little goes a long way.
Like all nuts, there is a proportion of the population who are naturally allergic to them. If you are new to macadamia nuts and haven’t tried them before, start slow and make sure you know the warning signs of a nut allergy [13].
Macadamia nuts are high in antioxidants which can fight disease. However, the antioxidant count decreases significantly under high heat [14]. So that roasted macadamia nut oil isn’t quite as healthy as eating non-roasted macadamia nuts. Roasting brings out the flavor but decreases the nutrients.
Although rare, macadamia nuts can contain salmonella [15]. Salmonella can be killed by high heat, so this is only a risk for uncooked nuts. Typically, contamination occurred from animals in the wild before harvest. This is a risk for any nuts and is another reason for roasting (it brings out the flavor and can kill any bacteria in the nuts).
So give macadamia nut oil a try and use it to replace some of your traditional cooking oils. Remember, it is still a high-fat product, and while it contains many great nutrients that can prevent disease, a small amount is enough to reap the benefits of this small, energy-packed nut.
You might be interested in “Is High Oleic Sunflower Oil Good or Bad For You?”
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