There is something wonderfully indulgent about a macadamia nut. Rich, buttery and almost creamy, it hardly feels like the sort of food you would associate with a nutrition lesson. But underneath that luxurious little crunch is a rather interesting fat profile.
Macadamias are particularly rich in monounsaturated fats — the family of unsaturated fats commonly associated with heart-healthy eating. But they also contain something we hear much less about: palmitoleic acid, an omega-7 fatty acid.
So, What Exactly Is Omega-7?
We hear plenty about omega-3 and omega-6. Omega-7? Not so much.
Palmitoleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid found naturally in the body and in certain foods, with macadamias being a notable dietary source. What has made it particularly interesting to scientists is its possible role as a “lipokine” — a fat-derived signalling molecule that may communicate with other tissues and influence aspects of metabolism.
That has prompted researchers to investigate omega-7 in relation to fat metabolism, insulin sensitivity and inflammation. But this is where things get interesting: the science is promising, yet far from settled. Current human evidence does not justify treating omega-7 itself as some sort of miracle nutrient.
Why Macadamias Are More Than Omega-7
And perhaps that is exactly the point.
A macadamia nut isn’t an omega-7 supplement. It’s a whole food containing predominantly unsaturated fats along with other naturally occurring nutrients.
Human clinical trials have found that macadamia-rich diets can help lower total and LDL cholesterol, particularly when they replace foods higher in saturated fat. And despite their reputation for being calorie-dense, another randomised trial found that adding macadamias to the diets of adults with overweight or obesity did not significantly increase body weight, waist circumference or body fat over the study period.
A Little More Science
The research becomes particularly fascinating when we separate macadamia nuts from isolated omega-7. Controlled human studies have demonstrated favourable changes in blood lipids with macadamia-rich diets. However, scientists cannot say that palmitoleic acid alone is responsible, because macadamias contain a broader matrix of monounsaturated fats and nutrients. A 2026 review of the available observational, clinical and mechanistic evidence reached a similarly measured conclusion: palmitoleic acid is biologically interesting, but meaningful health benefits from isolated palmitoleic acid have not yet been established in humans.
Perhaps the real appeal of macadamias is much simpler: extraordinary nutrition doesn’t always need to come from an extraordinary ingredient. Sometimes, it was sitting in a nutshell all along.
It’s a theme that comes up again and again in nutrition science — much the same pattern we found when we looked at the research behind kale’s health benefits: a food’s reputation rarely rests on one standout nutrient, but on the whole package it comes in.
If that combination of indulgence and nutrition has you curious, our Midnight Velvet — a macadamia and black sesame butter, handcrafted in small batches — is a fitting place to start.
Research & Further Reading
1. Griel AE, Cao Y, Bagshaw DD, et al. (2008).
A macadamia nut-rich diet reduces total and LDL-cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women.
The Journal of Nutrition, 138(4), 761–767.
DOI: 10.1093/jn/138.4.761
This randomized controlled feeding study found lower total and LDL cholesterol following a macadamia-rich diet compared with an average American diet.
View on PubMed
2. Garg ML, Blake RJ, Wills RBH. (2003).
Macadamia nut consumption lowers plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels in hypercholesterolemic men.
The Journal of Nutrition, 133(4), 1060–1063.
DOI: 10.1093/jn/133.4.1060
This clinical trial is particularly relevant to our article because macadamia consumption not only improved several lipid measures but also increased plasma 16:1 n-7 — palmitoleic acid.
View on PubMed
3. Destaillats F, Oliveira M, Zhou X, et al. (2026).
Palmitoleic (16:1 n-7) acid and metabolic health: integrating observational, clinical, and mechanistic evidence.
Frontiers in Nutrition, 13, 1801946.
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1801946
This is especially useful because it is a very recent review dedicated specifically to omega-7. It examines palmitoleic acid as a proposed lipokine and looks at glucose metabolism, inflammation, lipids and insulin resistance. Importantly, it concludes that the biology is interesting but benefits from purified omega-7 remain unproven in humans.
View on PubMed
4. Hodson L, Karpe F. (2013).
Is there something special about palmitoleate?
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 16(2), 225–231.
DOI: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e32835d2edf
This review specifically examines whether palmitoleate really behaves as a lipokine in humans. Its conclusion is appropriately cautious: the biology is intriguing, but human evidence has not firmly established the proposed lipokine effects.
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5. Jones JL, Sabaté J, Heskey C, Oda K, Miles F, Rajaram S. (2023).
Macadamia nut effects on cardiometabolic risk factors: a randomised trial
Journal of Nutritional Science, 12, e55.
DOI: 10.1017/jns.2023.39
This randomised trial in overweight and obese adults found no significant changes in body weight, waist circumference or body fat after 8 weeks of macadamia nut consumption — directly supporting the claim above.
View on PubMed
Researched and edited by Lynn Glenda Pinto
