Nuts vs. Heart Disease | Important Research

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Nuts vs. Heart Disease

Mortality rates from heart disease and cancer are low in traditional Mediterranean populations. Consequently, researchers have given considerable attention to the components of the Mediterranean diet, looking for factors that could account for the reduced risks of heart disease.

Using the wealth of data on 86,016 women gathered in the Nurses' Health Study (see preceding summary of the study on dietary fiber), the authors of this article examined the relation between nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease.

The results identified these key messages:

"Nuts are high in fat, but most of the fatty acids are unsaturated. This study suggests that frequent consumption of nuts, including peanuts, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

This protective effect may be partly mediated through serum lipids because unsaturated fats have beneficial effects on serum lipids. Other potentially protective constituents include vegetable protein, magnesium, vitamin E, fibre, and potassium."

The authors point out that their findings on the role of nuts in reducing heart disease risk are supported by those in other epidemiological and clinical studies.

Clinicians should be able to incorporate this study's conclusions that "frequent nut consumption was associated with a reduced risk of both fatal coronary heart disease and non-fatal myocardial infarction."

Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, et al. Frequent nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women: Prospective heart disease. British Medical Journal, Nov. 14, 1998;317; pp1341-45.