Are you nuts about nuts? Then you’ll be happy to know that eating a small handful of nuts every day reduces the risk of many chronic diseases.
The Imperial College London study, published in BMC Medicine journal, found that eating more than 20 grams of nuts a day cuts the risk of coronary heart disease by almost 30%, the risk of cancer by 15%, and the risk of premature death by 22%.
And all thanks to a handful of nuts.
But that’s not all. The same amount of nuts eaten each day also reduces the risk of dying from respiratory disease by half. And the risk of dying from diabetes is also cut by around 40%.
Sounds like a pretty good reason to start munching on walnuts. Or whatever nuts take your fancy, since the results were the same for all tree nuts such as hazel nuts, peanuts and others.
And how was the discovery made?
The research team took 29 studies from around the world. They looked at data from 819,000 participants – that’s 12,000 cases of coronary heart disease, 18,000 cases of cardiovascular disease and cancer, 9,000 cases of stroke, and over 85,000 deaths.
Across almost all the studies, nut intake was linked with a lowering of disease and death.
"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. It's quite a substantial effect for such a small amount of food," said co-author Dagfinn Aune.
So why are nuts so wonderful at reducing our risk of serious disease?
It’s all thanks to their potent nutritional makeup. Tree nuts are packed with fibre, magnesium and polyunsaturated fats – all of which are known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
"Some nuts, particularly walnuts and pecan nuts are also high in antioxidants, which can fight oxidative stress and possibly reduce cancer risk. Even though nuts are quite high in fat, they are also high in fibre and protein, and there is some evidence that suggests nuts might actually reduce your risk of obesity over time," said Aune.
Keen to get more nuts in your diet? Speak with a dietitian or nutritionist.
Originally published on Jan 05, 2017
