People who eat a handful of nuts a day have a lower risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, according to a new study led by European researchers.
Analysing all current studies of nut consumption and disease risk, the team, at Imperial College London and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, showed that eating just 20g a day can cut people’s risk of coronary heart disease by nearly 30%, their risk of cancer by 15%, and their risk of premature death by 22%.
The analysis of the 29 published studies that involved about 819,000 people also found that eating at least 20g of nuts a day was associated with about a 50% reduced risk of dying from respiratory disease and a 40% reduced risk of diabetes.
Study co-author Dagfinn Aune, of Imperial’s School of Public Health, said: “In nutritional studies, so far much of the research has been on the big killers such as heart diseases, stroke and cancer, but now we’re starting to see data for other diseases.
“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.”
The study, which is published in BMC Medicine, included all kinds of tree nuts as well as peanuts, which are legumes. The nutritional value of nuts makes them potentially beneficial, said Aune.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
The team is to analyse large published datasets for the effects of other recommended food groups, including fruits and vegetables, on a wider range of diseases.
Dagfinn A, Keum N, Giovannuci E et al. Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, all-cause and cause- specific mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies BMC Medicine December 2016; doi: 10.1186/s12916-016-0730-3
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