Going Nuts is Good for You

A handful of nuts a day, might keep the doctor away. Numerous nutritional studies have found regularly eating nuts has a multitude of beneficial effects on health including lowering risk of developing heart disease (1), type 2 diabetes (2) dementia (3) stroke (4) and gallstones (5). Regularly eating nuts reduces the risk of heart disease by 30–50% (1) as well as reducing the risk of dying from sudden cardiac death (6). Furthermore, the more often nuts are eaten, the greater the benefits of protection against heart disease and against diabetes type 2 (7,8).

We all know nuts are calorific, with the average nuts having 200 calories per 30 grams, and we could be forgiven for thinking they are consequentially fattening. However, contrary to that popular belief, nuts have been found to help regulate body weight and not to increase it, by satisfying hunger pangs and warding off eating other more unhealthy foods (9). How many nuts one should eat can be a point of contention, as eating too much is all too easy to do. The mentioned studies have suggested that 30–60 grams of nuts per day are sufficient to reap the benefits

Nuts are very high in unsaturated fatty acids, omega 3 or the “good fats’ which protect against heart disease and are very low in saturated fatty acids, which may explain some of their beneficial effects on reducing heart disease. Nuts are energy dense foods, being one of the best plant sources of protein, high in fiber, phytonutrients and loaded with antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium. Nuts also contain arginine, an amino acid that can help overcome impotence, boost immunity and lower high blood pressure levels.

Although which nuts are best to eat is still under research, in 2003 the Federal Drug Administration of the U.S released a statement condoning eating almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts to possibly reduce the risk of heart disease, as they contain less than 4g of saturated fats per 50g.

However each nut has specific benefits, and eating a broad range of nuts would be your best bet to stay healthy; Walnuts are a particular must as they contain significantly higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids as compared to other nuts which are good for your heart, joints and brain function and like almonds and pecans, contain tryptophan — an amino acid that stimulates the production of serotonin in your brain, a ‘feel good’ hormone which can help protect against depression.; Peanuts, probably the most commonly found nut, are an excellent source of B vitamins, including folate, riboflavin and niacin, all of which are important for metabolism and growth, as their deficiency can cause muscle degredation and fatigue; Brazil nuts are high in selenium, an anti –cancer agent, and have recently been implicated in preventing breast cancer; Pistachios, another common nut especially in the Middle East, are high in iron, protein and fibre content and magnesium, which helps control blood pressure; Hazelnuts are one of the richest sources of the antioxidant vitamin E; and cashew nuts are very rich in iron.

Although the benefits of nuts are vast, some cautionary measures need to be borne in mind when eating them; Nuts should ultimately be eaten unsalted, as too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which would negate the beneficial nutty effects on the heart; Eating old nuts is not recommended as one of the most toxic substances known to man, Aflatoxin, is a fungus found in ‘off nuts’; Nuts should not be given to small children as they can lead to choking; and finally, around one percent of people are allergic to nuts, and should avoid them altogether.

References

1. Fraser GE. Nut consumption, lipids, and risk of a coronary event. Clinical Cardiology 22 (Suppl. III):III-11-III-15 (1999).
2. Jiang R, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Liu S, Willet WC, Hu FB. Nut and peanut butter consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Journal of the American Medical Association 288: 2554–2560 (2002).
3. Zhang SM, Hernan MA, Chen H, Spiegelman D, Willett WC, Ascherio A. Intakes of vitamins E and C, carotenoids, vitamin supplements, and PD risk. Neurology 59:1161–9 (2002). ,

4 Yochum LA, Folsom AR, Kushi LH. Intake of antioxidant vitamins and risk of death from stroke in post-menopausal women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72: 476–483 (2000).

5. Tsai CJ, Leitzmann MF, Hu FB, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL. Frequent nut consumption and decreased risk of cholecystectomy in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 80:76–81 (2004).

6 Albert CM, Gaziano JM, Willett WC, Manson JE. Nut consumption and decreased risk of sudden cardiac death in the physicians’ health study. Archives of Internal Medicine 162:1382–7 (2002)

7.Jiang R, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Liu S, Willet WC, Hu FB. Nut and peanut butter consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Journal of the American Medical Association 288: 2554–2560 (2002).

8.Sabaté J. Nut consumption, vegetarian diets, ischemic heart disease risk, and all-cause mortality: evidence from epidemiologic studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 70 (Suppl):500S-3S (1999).

9Garcia-Lorda P, Megias Rangil I, Salas-Salvado J. Nut consumption, body weight and insulin resistance. European Journal of Nutrition 57 Suppl 1:S8–11 (2003).
Sabaté J. Nut consumption and body weight. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 78(3 Suppl):647S-650S