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Brazil nuts

Bertholletia excelsa

Also known as Para nut, Castanha-do-para

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Large seeds harvested from wild Amazonian trees, notable for concentrating selenium from the soil to a degree no other common food matches. Selenium content varies enormously with where the nuts were grown, so any single figure is an average over a very wide range.

Antioxidant & Oxidative StressHeart HealthImmune Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Oxidative stress markers

Antioxidant & Oxidative Stress
Moderate evidence

Some trials report that a small daily portion raises blood selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity in people whose selenium status was low. In people already selenium-replete the marker changes are smaller and their value uncertain.

What may be going on: Selenium is built into selenoproteins including glutathione peroxidase, so restoring status from a deficient state raises the activity of those enzymes.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited and inconsistent. A few small trials report short-term changes in cholesterol after a single large portion, a finding that has not been reliably reproduced in longer studies.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Immune function

Immune Health
Insufficient evidence

There is not enough dependable human research to say that Brazil nuts change immune function. Correcting a selenium deficiency matters for immune competence, but that is a statement about the deficiency, not about the nut.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Brazil nuts

Ask about Brazil nuts

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories659 kcal33%
Protein14.3 g29%
Total fat67.1 g86%
Carbohydrate11.7 g4%
Fibre7.5 g27%
Total sugars2.33 g—
Water3.42 g—
Fats
Saturated fat16.1 g81%
Monounsaturated fat23.9 g—
Polyunsaturated fat24.4 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
ALA (omega-3)0.018 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)24.4 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0.7 mg1%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E5.65 mg38%
Vitamin K0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.617 mg51%
Riboflavin (B2)0.035 mg3%
Niacin (B3)0.295 mg2%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.184 mg4%
Vitamin B60.101 mg6%
Folate22 µg6%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline28.8 mg5%
Minerals
Calcium160 mg12%
Iron2.43 mg14%
Magnesium376 mg90%
Phosphorus725 mg58%
Potassium659 mg14%
Sodium3 mg0%
Zinc4.06 mg37%
Copper1.74 mg194%
Manganese1.22 mg53%
Selenium1917 µg3485%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash3.43 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Nuts, brazilnuts, dried, unblanched (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170569).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Selenium toxicity

    A couple of Brazil nuts can supply the entire daily selenium requirement, and a small handful can approach or exceed the adult tolerable upper intake level in a single sitting. Sustained excess causes selenosis: brittle hair and nails, hair loss, a garlic odour on the breath, rashes and gastrointestinal upset. Because selenium content varies severalfold with soil, there is no safe way to eat these by the handful daily.

  • Allergy

    Tree nut allergy

    Brazil nut is a major regulated tree nut allergen and a documented cause of anaphylaxis.

  • Worth knowing

    Aflatoxin and radium

    Shelled Brazil nuts are subject to aflatoxin controls in international trade because of mould growth during humid storage. They also concentrate naturally occurring radium from Amazonian soil, at levels regulators regard as harmless at normal intake but which are unusually high for a food.

  • Worth knowing

    Rancidity

    The high unsaturated fat content and large kernel size make Brazil nuts turn rancid quickly once shelled; cold storage is recommended.