Almonds are the fruit of the tree Prunus dulcis or Prunus amygdalus dulcis that has Asian origins and belongs to the Rosaceae family.

The terms "Prunus dulcis" and "Prunus amygdalus dulcis" both refer to the almond tree. However, they represent slightly different naming conventions and can sometimes cause confusion.

• Prunus dulcis is a more modern and accepted scientific name for the almond tree. It's the name used to classify the species that produce the almond nuts we commonly eat.
• Prunus amygdalus dulcis is a bit more complicated, as it breaks down into two main forms. "Prunus amygdalus" is an older classification, and the "dulcis" part was used to specify the sweet almond variety (as opposed to "Prunus amygdalus amara," which refers to the bitter almond variety).

Almond is energetic: in 100 grams we find about 690 kcalories.

It has many varieties, but the best known are

• sweet almonds - used in the food industry.
• bitter almond - used in cosmetics and other - very dangerous if ingested.

The sweet almond is rich in monounsaturated fats, fiber, magnesium.
Its components can regulate the homeostasis of glucose. It is hypocholesterolemic (1), has an antioxidant action (2) and is an adjuvant for cardiovascular risks (3).

This study found a statistically significant association between high frequency of peanuts, pine nuts, and almonds consumption and reduced risk of colorectal cancer (4).

From the sweet almond you get :

• almond milk. Energy drink
• almond oil. Soothing and anti-itching

For a rather common industrial by-product of almonds, almond milk, especially sweetened versions, care must be taken because they have a cariogenic potential (5).

While the sweet almond has many beneficial properties for human health, the bitter almond is toxic: even at relatively small doses as 5 or 6 are sufficient to cause poisoning. It can be fatal at higher doses. The bitter taste, connected to a component, the amygdalin, fortunately, discourages from ingestion.

The bitter almond is obtained after purification of the hydrocyanic acid it contains:

• almond oil. Used in cosmetics for skin care
• almond butter. Used in skin care cosmetics
• almond extract Used for shampooing and cosmetics.

This study reviews and comments on almond clinical trials with particular reference to biomarkers of health and the gut micrtobiota (6).

Almond studies

Bibliografia__________________________________________________________________

(1) Kamil A, Chen CY.  Health Benefits of Almonds beyond Cholesterol Reduction.   J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Feb 17. J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Jul 11;60(27):6694-702. doi: 10.1021/jf2044795.

(2) Barreira JC, Ferreira IC, Oliveira MB, Pereira JA. Antioxidant potential of chestnut (Castanea sativa L.) and almond (Prunus dulcis L.) by-products.    Food Sci Technol Int. 2010 Jun;16(3):209-16. doi: 10.1177/1082013209353983. 

(3) Damasceno NR, Pérez-Heras A, Serra M, Cofán M, Sala-Vila A, Salas-Salvadó J, Ros E.  Crossover study of diets enriched with virgin olive oil, walnuts or almonds. Effects on lipids and other cardiovascular risk markers.   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2011 Jun;21 Suppl 1:S14-20. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2010.12.006. 

(4) Lee J, Shin A, Oh JH, Kim J. The relationship between nut intake and risk of colorectal cancer: a case control study.    Nutr J. 2018 Mar 7;17(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s12937-018-0345-y.

(5) Lee J, Townsend JA, Thompson T, Garitty T, De A, Yu Q, Peters BM, Wen ZT. Analysis of the Cariogenic Potential of Various Almond Milk Beverages using a Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Model in vitro.    Caries Res. 2018;52(1-2):51-57. doi: 10.1159/000479936.

(6) Dreher ML. A Comprehensive Review of Almond Clinical Trials on Weight Measures, Metabolic Health Biomarkers and Outcomes, and the Gut Microbiota. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 8;13(6):1968. doi: 10.3390/nu13061968.