With the increasing number of people suffering from nut allergies, in recent years the humble nut has suffered from public relations issues. However, recent research has suggested that consuming nuts is not only good for the health but it could reduce your risk of dying early.
Eating More Nuts Is Good For You
The recent research was actually one of the largest studies conducted. The team out of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard School of Public Health and Brighton and Women’s Hospital involved collating data from The Nurses Health Study and the Health Professional’s Follow up Study, which covered a period of thirty years.
The team documented the statistic that people who had the daily habit of eating a handful of any form of nuts had a twenty percent reduction of risk of dying from any cause, when compared to their nut free contemporaries. Additionally the team also noted that nut consumers tended to also be slimmer than their counterparts.
29% Reduction of Heart Disease Death
According to Dana Farber’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Center Director, Charles S Fuchs, MD, MPH, there were significant benefits including a twenty nine percent reduction of heart disease death, which is noted by Fuchs as “the major killer” of the US population.
11% Reduction In The Risk of Dying From Cancer
However, there was also a “significant reduction” of eleven percent in the risk of dying from cancer.
This supports the numerous data sources which reveal the amazing health benefits offered from consuming nuts, including reduced diabetes risk, maintaining healthy muscle tone and lowering the blood pressure.
The Consideration of Other Factors
Many people may immediately think that the consumption of nuts is linked to other factors including a greater likelihood of a healthy lifestyle including not smoking, taking vitamin supplements and taking regular exercise.
However, the research used sophisticated forms of data analysis to rule out the link that other factors could have influenced mortality.
Although there was an association that people eating more nuts were more likely to have these positive lifestyle attributes, the team did isolate the independent link between nut consumption and mortality.
First author of the report Ying Bao, MD, ScD concludes that “the more nuts people ate” they were “less likely” to die over the following thirty years.