Health Researchers Go Nuts For Nuts

A handful of nuts, 20 grams to be more precise, appears to lower the risk of coronary heart disease by nearly 30 percent, cancer by 15 percent, and premature death by 22 percent. That’s the verdict of researchers at Imperial College of London, who analyzed 29 published studies that involved up to 819,000 participants, including more than 12,000 cases of coronary heart disease, 9,000 cases of stroke, 18,000 cases of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and more than 85,000 deaths. An Imperial College news release reports that despite variations 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. The researchers say the key to nuts’ health benefits is their nutritional value: Nuts and peanuts are high in fibre, magnesium, and polyunsaturated fats – nutrients that are beneficial for cutting cardiovascular disease risk and which can reduce cholesterol levels. Some nuts, particularly walnuts and pecan nuts, are also high in antioxidants, which can fight oxidative stress and possibly reduce cancer risk. They note that even while 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. The study also found that if people consumed on average more than 20g of nuts per day, there was little evidence of further improvement in health outcomes.