Cashews vs walnuts for acne
Cashews scores 93/100 (GLOW) and walnuts scores 100/100 (GLOW) on SpotBite's Skin Score. Walnuts is the safer choice by 7 points, and the gap comes mostly from skin boost (omega-3 and polyphenols).
Where the gap comes from
- Inflammatory fats: Cashews has 2.2 g saturated fat and 2.2 g omega-6, Walnuts has 1.7 g and 10.7 g.
- Skin boost: Cashews gets +5 from omega-3 and polyphenols, Walnuts gets +20.
Evidence: Khayef 2012 (n=13): fish oil for 12 weeks cut inflammatory lesions from 10.1 to 5.8 on average (study). All 13 sources.
Score breakdown, side by side
| Cashews | Walnuts | |
|---|---|---|
| Glycemic (of 50) | GL 2.2 −3.9 | GL 0.6 −1.1 |
| Dairy (of 25) | 0 g 0 | 0 g 0 |
| Inflammation (of 25) | 2.2 g sat · 2.2 g ω-6 −8.4 | 1.7 g sat · 10.7 g ω-6 −15 |
| Skin Boost (of 25) | 0 g ω-3 · medium polyphenols +5 | 2.5 g ω-3 · medium polyphenols +20 |
| Skin Score | 93 · GLOW | 100 · GLOW |
Estimates for a typical serving. Real foods vary by brand and recipe.
Verdict
If you are acne-prone, walnuts is the better pick of the two.
Not medical advice. Both scores are for the food on its own. What you eat with it changes the result, and breakouts usually show up 3 to 7 days after a meal. Diet is one factor among many.
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