Need another reason to roast chestnuts this winter?
Look no further than the study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine that people who eat nuts is a lower risk of death compared to people who never eat them.
The researchers at Harvard and Indiana University looked at data collected from mammoth, decades-long nurses ' Health Study and the health professionals FOLLOW-UP STUDY — health information nearly 120,000 men and women in all. They looked at the risk of death in these topics, a number of common health problems, and they compared the risk against nuts consumption.
They found that people who ate one serving of peanuts a day, on average, 20 per cent lower risk of dying from a number of common health problems, compared to those who never ate nuts. What's more, the nuts were a greater effect.
The researchers concluded that the research was partially funded by the International Tree Nut Council nutrition research and Education Foundation a nonprofit industry group, but they said the Organization had no role or influence over a portion of the research.
Lead study author Dr. Ying Bao, an internist, Brigham and women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, says the findings confirm what many have suspected for a long time the nut consumption benefits.
"Nuts are nutrient dense foods," he said. Previous studies Show the benefits of various chronic illnesses – the benefits of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, even colon cancer. And, of course, of heart disease. "
All those who consumed nuts were also the ones who tend to be less obese were less likely to smoke are more likely to exercise and eat healthy fruit and vegetables-all factors that could contribute to longer life and yourself. However, even taking into account all of these factors — like other than age, race and family history – the researchers found that those who ate nuts came out on top when it came to an early death from cancer, heart disease and lung disease.
The research is the largest yet to show such benefits.
"There are very few studies that show nuts benefit from mortality," Bao said. "We had a chance to look at the association, which is an understudied a large study in the sample."
Dr. David Katz, the founding Director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University, who is not associated with the study, said that although the study cannot prove conclusively that eating more nuts will keep you alive longer, the results are a healthy food for thought.
"One of the most potentially important reason why the risk of reducing the disease, and the death of a mad is what they bring to the diet, the other is they remove from the diet," Katz said. "People who eat more nuts are likely to eat them and not other food items, maybe likely nowhere near as nutritious food."
Doctor's take:
This study adds to a growing number of research that shows that nuts have a number of health benefits. And even if there is no food to keep alive forever, nutritionists have long known that nuts are full of nutrients. So if you can afford them, you may want to consider adding a handful of nuts a day from your diet.
However, it is important to remember that eating nuts is not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. This means eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, exercising, not smoking and limiting alcohol intake to 1 or 2 glasses a day.