Nut consumption is associated with sharper thinking skills and post-stroke brain health markers

People who eat more nuts tend to score higher on tests of thinking and memory, especially if they have generally poor diets or exercise habits. Among individuals who have experienced a stroke, eating nuts is linked to higher levels of a protein that helps grow new blood vessels. These findings, published in Food & Function, provide evidence that even small dietary additions might offer benefits for brain health.

A person’s ability to manage everyday life depends heavily on maintaining mental sharpness as they age. A 2026 review highlighted that cardiovascular risk factors and diet in middle age interact to shape the long-term health of the brain, either protecting it or accelerating its decline over a lifespan. Strokes are especially disruptive, causing direct damage to brain tissue and increasing the risk of memory problems and dementia. Because medical treatments for dementia remain limited, many experts are looking at preventative measures like diet.

Healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, tend to feature nutrient-rich foods that help protect blood vessels and reduce inflammation. Nuts are a core part of these dietary patterns. They contain healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals that promote cardiovascular health, but their specific role in maintaining cognitive function is still being mapped out.

“Nuts are widely recommended as part of a healthy diet and have known benefits for heart and metabolic health, but evidence for their benefits to cognitive health is inconsistent,” said co-authors Barbara R. Cardoso, a senior lecturer at Monash University, and Sasan Amanat, a PhD student. “Further, we are particularly interested in stroke survivors, a group at higher risk of cognitive decline that has been relatively understudied in nutrition research.”

To explore these questions, the researchers utilized data from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort, a large-scale project that began tracking Massachusetts residents in the 1970s. The research focused on 1,771 participants with an average age of 61 who completed dietary surveys and underwent tests of their thinking skills. Of this group, 1,742 participants had no history of stroke, while 29 were stroke survivors.

Participants reported their food intake over the past year using detailed questionnaires, allowing the team to estimate their average daily nut consumption. On average, the stroke-free participants ate about 1.3 grams of nuts per day, a very low amount compared to standard dietary guidelines. The participants also completed neuropsychological tests measuring their processing speed, visual memory, verbal memory, and reasoning. These test results were combined into a single score for general cognitive function.

To look inside the brain, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the volume of total brain tissue and the volume of the hippocampus, a region essential for memory. They also took blood samples to measure two proteins required for the development and maintenance of the nervous system. One was brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which helps nerves survive, and the other was vascular endothelial growth factor, which stimulates the formation of new blood vessels. The team accounted for variables such as age, sex, education, smoking status, overall diet quality, and physical activity.

Among the participants without a history of stroke, consuming more nuts was associated with higher overall cognitive scores. When the researchers grouped people by their lifestyle habits, they found that this benefit was most pronounced in individuals who engaged in the least physical activity and had the lowest overall diet quality. In those groups, small increases in nut intake translated to better memory and thinking scores.

“Our findings add to growing evidence that including a handful of nuts in the diet may support cognitive health,” the researchers told PsyPost. “Swapping less healthy snacks for nuts could be especially helpful for people who do not eat a balanced diet or who are not very physically active. Brain health is often discussed in terms of complex treatments or interventions, but our research highlights the potential importance of everyday dietary choices. Nuts are widely available and can easily replace discretionary foods in many dietary patterns.”

The brain scan results offered a different pattern. Eating more nuts was associated with a larger total brain volume, but only among participants who were highly physically active. In the general stroke-free group, nut consumption was not linked to the levels of the brain health proteins in the blood.

For the small group of stroke survivors, nut intake did not show an association with memory and thinking scores. Higher nut consumption did correspond to elevated levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in the blood, which could indicate a better environment for repairing blood vessels after a stroke.

“We were surprised to see that nut intake was associated with vascular endothelial growth factor in stroke survivors,” the researchers explained. “Although our findings are limited by the small number of participants and therefore need confirmation in larger studies, they shed light on a possible mechanism by which a particular food may help stroke survivors recover.”

Over a ten-year follow-up period, the researchers also tracked the incidence of new strokes and dementia cases among the stroke-free participants. Out of 1,742 people, they identified 49 new strokes and 61 new dementia cases, finding no statistical relationship between the amount of nuts eaten and the likelihood of developing these conditions.

The cognitive findings are consistent with a study covered by PsyPost in 2024, which found that regular nut consumption was associated with a 12 percent reduced risk of dementia. The current study, which assessed cognitive test scores and brain health markers rather than clinical dementia incidence over a longer period, similarly found cognitive benefits linked to nut consumption.

The results also align with a 2025 study indicating that eating 60 grams of peanuts daily improved verbal memory and brain blood flow. Although the new study examined habitual nut consumption across a large population rather than a controlled daily peanut intervention, it similarly suggests a benefit for brain health. Another 2026 study reported improved cognitive processing speed following daily almond consumption in adults with prediabetes. The current research extends this concept by looking at general cognition across a broader community group.

The findings provide a helpful perspective on diet, but there are several reasons to interpret them cautiously. “One important limitation is that this study can only show a link between nut consumption and better brain health, not prove that one causes the other,” the researchers noted. “In other words, while people who ate more nuts tended to have better cognitive function, the research does not show that eating nuts directly prevents memory loss or cognitive decline.”

Additionally, the overall intake of nuts in the studied population was extremely low, with only a tiny fraction of people meeting standard dietary guidelines of 20 grams per day. Exploring similar questions in populations that eat a wider variety and larger quantity of nuts could clarify the exact amounts needed to protect brain function as people age.

“We are particularly interested in stroke survivors because they face an increased risk of cognitive decline, yet remain underrepresented in nutrition research,” the researchers said. “Our next goal is to better understand how dietary factors, including nut consumption, may support recovery, rehabilitation, and long-term brain health after stroke.”

The study, “Nut consumption, cognitive function and brain health markers in individuals with and without stroke: cross-sectional and longitudinal findings from the Framingham heart study,” was authored by Sasan Amanat, Aimee L. Dordevic, Matthew P. Pase, and Barbara R. Cardoso.