Nuts and seeds are rich in unsaturated fat and other nutrients that may reduce inflammation. Frequent nut consumption is associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers, and lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In most cases, it is healthier to consume nuts in the raw state as opposed to roasted.

Nuts have many nutritional benefits: they are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamin, minerals, and phytonutrients. Most nuts contain many minerals, including magnesium. Population studies indicate that individuals who regularly consume nuts have reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In clinical trials, nuts appear to have a neutral effect on glucose and insulin, and a beneficial effect on lipid profile. Thus, nuts can be a healthy dietary component for individuals with diabetes or those at risk for diabetes, providing overall caloric intake is regulated to maintain a healthy body weight.

Weight gain eating too many nuts
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Almond
When people change from their habitual diet to an almond supplemented diet, their intakes of MUFA, PUFA, fiber, vegetable protein, alpha-tocopherol, Copper and magnesium increases  while their intake of trans fatty acids, animal protein, sodium, cholesterol and sugars decrease.
     It is preferable to consume almonds raw as opposed to roasted. Asparagine is the main free amino acid in raw almonds and is correlated with the acrylamide content of dark roasted almonds.

Areca Nut - Betel Nut
Areca-nut chewing occurs widely in South Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Arecoline, the principal neuroactive alkaloid in areca nuts, is found in a mother's placenta if she is a chronic areca nut user. Neonatal withdrawal syndrome can occur in an infant born to a woman who is a chronic areca-nut user.
     In addition to increasing the risk of developing oral cancer, betel nut chewing appears to be related with another health hazard: obesity.

Brazil Nut
Brazil nuts contain a high amount of selenium and magnesium. Allergy to Brazil nut is a relatively common nut allergy and can be fatal. A combination of history, skin prick test and serum-specific IgE is often adequate in achieving a diagnosis in the majority of patients with suspected Brazil nut allergy.

Cashew Nut
Cashew nut allergy can be of concern. Anaphylaxis to cashew nut is more common than to peanut. Children with cashew allergy are at risk of anaphylaxis.

Hazel Nut
Hazelnuts have a high amount of tocopherols and tocotrienols.

Kola Nut

Kukui Nut
Kukui nut is popular in Hawaii and used topically for psoriasis although little research exists to substantiate the effectiveness of kukui nut oil applied topically for the treatment of psoriasis.

Macadamia nut

Peanut and Peanut Allergy
A skin prick result > or = 8 mm or a specific IgE > or = 15 kU A /L have a high predictive value for clinical allergy to peanut and that these cutoff figures appear generalizable to different populations of children undergoing an assessment for peanut allergy.
      Treatment of peanut allergic mice with the Chinese herbal formula known as FAHF-2 completely blocks peanut-induced allergic reactions for up to 6 months following therapy and full protection is restored following a second course of FAHF-2. These observations, if reproducible in humans, suggest that this Chinese herbal formula may be a highly effective treatment for peanut allergy. Following treatment with FAHF-2 for 7 weeks, peanut-allergic mice were completely protected against peanut-induced reactions following oral challenges administered up to 34 weeks after treatment. The research team is working to identify the bioactive compounds present in the formula. How FAHF-2 works remains unclear. Preliminary work indicates that FAHF-2 may target multiple cell types known to be involved in allergic reactions. FAHF-2 also appears to stimulate T cells to produce more interferon-gamma, a cytokine that is known to curb allergic responses.

Pecan

Pine Nut
A compound in Korean pine tree nuts may act as an appetite suppressant. A study wad done on the effect of commercially produced pine nut oil in 18 overweight women. These volunteers were randomly divided into a group that received gel capsules containing either Lipid Nutrition's PinnoThin pine oil product or olive oil, before eating a carbohydrate-rich breakfast of white bread and orange marmalade. One week later the researchers repeated the experiment, giving pine nut oil-containing capsules to the women who originally consumed olive oil and vice versa.The oil in the pine nuts appeared to promote the release of cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), two gastrointestinal hormones that are known to send "satiety signals" - i.e. signals that the stomach is feeling full - to the brain. After taking the pine nut oil-containing capsules, the women reported a lower desire to eat and a desire to eat less food during their next meal than they did after consuming the olive oil supplements. Pine nuts in general are a good source of protein and healthy fats, particularly for vegetarians. Apparently Korean pine nut is contains much higher levels of the polyunsaturated fats than do other nuts.
   Press release from Source Naturals - Korean pine nuts are a rich source of pinolenic acid, which may increase concentrations of the satiety hormones glucogon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and cholecystokinin (CCK). A small-scale study suggests that Source Naturals PineSlim, containing PinnoThin may reduce feelings of hunger by increasing concentrations of appetite-suppressing hormones.

Pistachio nut

Walnut
A diet that includes walnuts delivering polyunsaturated fatty acids can improve the lipid profile of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Nuts and Fats
Nuts are high in fat but have a fatty acid profile that may be beneficial in relation to risk of coronary heart disease. Nuts also contain other potentially cardioprotective constituents including phytosterols, tocopherols and squalene. A study was conducted to determine the total oil content, peroxide value, composition of fatty acids, tocopherols, phytosterols and squalene content in the oil extracted from freshly ground walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and the macadamia nut. The total oil content of the nuts ranged from 38 to 602%. The main monounsaturated fatty acid was oleic acid (C18:1) with substantial levels of palmitoleic acid (C16:1) present in the macadamia nut. The main polyunsaturated fatty acids present were linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). alpha-Tocopherol was the most prevalent tocopherol except in walnuts. The levels of squalene detected ranged from 9 to 186 microg/g. beta-Sitosterol was the most abundant sterol, ranging in concentration from 991 to 2071 microg/g oil. Campesterol and stigmasterol were also present in significant concentrations. All five nuts are a good source of monounsaturated fatty acid, tocopherols, squalene and phytosterols.

Phytosterols in Nuts and Seeds
Sesame seeds and wheat germ have the highest total phytosterol content (400-413 mg/100 g) and Brazil nuts the lowest (95 mg/100 g). Of the products typically consumed as snack foods, pistachio nuts and sunflower kernel are richest in phytosterols (270-289 mg/100 g). beta-Sitosterol, Delta5-avenasterol, and campesterol are predominant.

Nuts and Cholesterol
Consumption of approximately 50-100 g (approximately 1.5-3.5 servings) of nuts a few  times a week as part of a heart-healthy diet with total fat content (high in mono- and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids) of approximately 35% of energy may decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

Nuts and Heart Attack
A European study says eating nuts, including peanuts, can help reduce risk of coronary heart disease. For the first time, the association between nut consumption and health in nearly 400,000 Europeans has been studied to take account of the different dietary habits and nut intake patterns between Americans and Europeans. The researchers identified that nearly half of Europeans rarely consume nuts, yet an intake of just two servings of nuts per week, where each serving is about a handful -- one ounce -- may reduce risk of death from coronary heart disease by 11 percent. "The important thing is that very modest consumption is associated with protection," said Elio Riboli, professor of cancer epidemiology at Imperial College in London. "A small plate of nuts with a glass of wine would be a healthy amount. A classic aperitif accompanied by a dish of nuts at least twice a week would be an ideal combination."

Nut and cancer
The potential of nuts in the prevention of cancer.
Br J Nutr. 2006 Nov;96 Suppl 2:S87-94. Human Nutrition Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Rovira i Virgili University, Reus, Spain.
Like fruits and vegetables, nuts are a source of vegetable protein, monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, phenolic compounds, selenium, vegetable fibre, folic acid and phytoestrogens. There are numerous mechanisms of action by which these components can intervene in the prevention of cancer, although they have not been fully elucidated. There are very few epidemiological studies analyzing the relationship between nuts consumption and risk of cancer. One of the greatest difficulties in interpreting the results is that the consumption of nuts, seeds and legumes are often presented together. The most commonly studied location is the colon / rectum, an organ in which the effect of nuts is biologically plausible. Although the results are not conclusive, a protective effect on colon and rectum cancer is possible. Likewise, some studies show a possible protective effect on prostate cancer, but there is insufficient data on other tumour locations. New epidemiological studies are required to clarify the possible effects of nuts on cancer, particularly prospective studies that make reliable and complete estimations of their consumption and which make it possible to analyse their effects independently of the consumption of legumes and seeds.

Nuts and Body Weight
Nuts are foods with a high energy density, due in part to their low water content. They also present a low saturated fat content (<7%) but a high unsaturated fat contribution (40-60%). Nuts represent one of the richest sources of dietary fiber, mostly of the insoluble type. The effects of nut intake on health have been widely studied. Some studies have focused on the effect of nuts on body weight. At present, no evidences support a detrimental effect of nut consumption on body weight. On the contrary some weight loss studies suggest a beneficial effect of nut intake on body weight regulation.

Nuts and Gallstones
Frequent nut consumption is associated with a reduced risk of gallstone disease.

We also have information on beans.

Nut Research
Chemical composition of selected edible nut seeds.
J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Jun 28;54(13):4705-14. Venkatachalam M, Sathe SK. Department of Nutrition, Food & Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Commercially important edible nut seeds were analyzed for chemical composition and moisture sorption. Moisture (1.4-9.5%), protein (7.5-21.5%), lipid (42-66%), ash (1.16-3.2%), total soluble sugars (0.55-3.9%), tannins (0.01-0.88%), and phytate (0.15-0.35%) contents varied considerably. Regardless of the seed type, lipids were mainly composed of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (>75% of the total lipids). Fatty acid composition analysis indicated that oleic acid (C(18:1)) was the main constituent of monounsaturated lipids in all seed samples. With the exception of macadamia, linoleic acid (C(18:2)) was the major polyunsaturated fatty acid. In the case of walnuts, in addition to linoleic acid (59.79%) linolenic acid (C(18:3)) also significantly contributed toward the total polyunsaturated lipids. Amino acid composition analyses indicated lysine (Brazil nut, cashew nut, hazelnut, pine nut, and walnut), sulfur amino acids methionine and cysteine (almond), tryptophan (macadamia, pecan), and threonine (peanut) to be the first limiting amino acid as compared to human (2-5 year old) amino acid requirements.