Eating nuts may lower risk of heart disease

Eating nuts could lower the risk of heart disease, according to recent research. File image

Eating nuts could lower the risk of heart disease, according to recent research. File image

Published Dec 5, 2017

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Researchers have found that those who regularly eat nuts have a lower risk of heart disease

That’s the conclusion of a recently released study of 210 000 adults tracked for 32 years. Researchers found that those who regularly ate peanuts, walnuts, cashews and other nuts had a lower risk of heart disease.

The findings “support recommendations of increasing the intake of nuts, as part of healthy dietary patterns, to reduce the risk of chronic disease”, said study author Marta Guasch-Ferre.

The research was funded by the US National Institutes of Health. It found that people who ate walnuts one or more times a week had about a 20% lower risk of heart disease. Those who ate peanuts twice a week had about 14% lower risk, and those who ate tree nuts -almonds, cashews, pistachios or macadamias - had a 15 to 23% lower risk.

The investigators found no link between nut consumption and stroke risk, but they did find that people who ate walnuts, in particular, had a lower risk of stroke.

Dr Rachel Bond, who helps direct women’s heart health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said the findings “attest to the increasing evidence on the heart benefit of nuts”. 

New York Times

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