Researchers looked at the diets of more than 200,000 people in both the United States and China, and
found nut consumption was linked with a lower risk of premature death from heart disease and other causes.
Not exact matches
While there was some variation between the populations that were studied, such as between men and women, people living in different regions, or people with different risk factors, the researchers
found that
nut consumption was associated with a reduction in disease risk across most of them.
«We
found a consistent reduction in risk across many different diseases, which is a strong indication that there is a real underlying relationship between
nut consumption and different health outcomes.
This stands in line with other very recent
findings on nutritive effects, such as the potential protective effects of
nut consumption and Vitamin D supplementation which have been shown earlier this year.
Researchers
found no evidence of an association between total
nut consumption and risk of stroke, but eating peanuts and walnuts was inversely associated with the risk of stroke.
The authors do note that this large study can not definitively prove cause and effect; nonetheless, the
findings are strongly consistent with «a wealth of existing observational and clinical trial data to support health benefits of
nut consumption on many chronic diseases.»
Several previous studies have
found an association between increasing
nut consumption and a lower risk of diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, gallstones, and diverticulitis.
«Because peanuts [which do not grow on trees] are much less expensive than tree
nuts, as well as more widely available to people of all races and all socioeconomic backgrounds, our study
finding suggests that increasing peanut
consumption may provide a potentially cost - efficient approach to improving cardiovascular health,» Shu said.
The components of this diet include fish, olive oil, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes,
nuts, and moderate alcohol
consumption, and it's been
found in multiple studies to be helpful with heart disease.
It simply means that you should focus on meeting your daily diet requirements of healthy fats such as those
found in oils, avocados, eggs, butter, dairy products, fatty fish and
nuts, while at the same time restricting your
consumption of trans - fats as much as possible.
This review
found five clinical trials analyzing the effect of
nut consumption on the ability of our arteries to relax and open normally — considered «an excellent «barometer» of underlying vascular health.»
A consistent reduction in risk was
found in various different conditions, which indicates a strong underlying connection between
nut consumption and various health outcomes.
There is a new report from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that supports Dr. Greger's
findings that
nut consumption does not cause weight gain and may even have a modest slimming effect.
Daily
consumption of
nut butter has been proven to provide wonderful health benefits that you don't want to miss out on, but it can be so overwhelming to try and
find a good one.
However, that's not what they
found, and, in fact, other studies have associated
nut consumption with a slimmer waist, less weight gain, and lower risk of obesity.
In addition, peanuts provide resveratrol, the phenolic antioxidant also
found in red grapes and red wine that is thought to be responsible for the French paradox: the fact that in France, people consume a diet that is not low in fat, but have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to the U.S. With all of the important nutrients provided by
nuts like peanuts, it is no wonder that numerous research studies, including the Nurses» Health Study that involved over 86,000 women, have
found that frequent
nut consumption is related to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Nuts are high in calories, but they can be a lifeline without expanding your waistline, as
nut consumption has not been
found to lead to the expected weight gain.
There is some evidence that an excess of oleic acid (
found chiefly in olive oil and
nuts) may inhibit prostaglandin production.5 Even
consumption of essential fatty acids should be restricted to about 4 % of the diet.
Several studies have
found regular
nut consumption is unlikely to contribute to obesity and may even aid weight loss.
Study
findings have also suggested specific steps women can take to improve their health including:
nut and grapefruit
consumption may help prevent breast cancer; getting enough Vitamin E may reduce asthma risk; eating berries, along with cruciferous and green leafy vegetables may reduce cognitive decline; sufficient magnesium intake may help prevent heart attacks; getting enough plant - based omega - 3's may reduce depression; and, eating more plant protein and reducing refined carbohydrate intake may reduce heart disease risk.
The studies have identified important health risk factors including: persistent organic pollutants consumed through contaminated food may be linked to diabetes; eating meat or eggs before pregnancy may raise gestational diabetes risk; taking in less than a single alcoholic drink per day may still raise the risk of breast cancer; daily
consumption of the amount of cholesterol
found in one egg may shorten a woman's lifespan as much as limited smoking; meat intake may be an infertility risk factor; there's a positive association between teen milk intake, especially skim milk, and teen acne; and
nut consumption does not lead to expected weight gain.
In fact, epidemiological studies [22]
found that greater
nut consumption was associated with a lower BMI.
Five large human epidemiological studies, including the Nurses Health Study, the Iowa Health Study, the Adventist Health Study and the Physicians Health Study, all
found that
nut consumption is linked to a lower risk for heart disease.
A 2007 Mediterranean study
found that frequent
nut consumption was associated with a reduced risk of weight gain.