Another piece of research has been published showing that nut consumption as part of a Mediterranean diet can significantly reduce death associated with cardiovascular disease.
Over 7000 men and women took part in the trial in Spain, a country that has a relatively high dietary intake of nuts per person. None of the group had cardiovascular disease at the start of the trial but were considered to be at high risk because of other health factors including diabetes type ll, smokers, high blood pressure, obesity of family history of heart disease.
During a follow up of an average of just under 5 years, it was shown that participants who ate more than 3 servings (28g) of nuts per week had a 39% lower risk of death compare to those who did not consume nuts at all.
It was also shown that walnuts (raw, not roasted) had a high antioxidant activity that could play a beneficial role in cancer prevention.
The nuts included a mix of peanuts, almonds, hazel nuts, walnuts, pine nuts and pistachio.
Other key foods in the Mediterranean diet include fresh vegetables, salads, olive oil, whole grains and seeds as well as nuts.
Nuts are good source of unsaturated fatty acids, fibre, minerals including potassium, calcium and magnesium, vitamins including folate and Vitamin E as well as other bioactive compounds including phytosterols (plant based food that can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and polyphenols (antioxidants).
Click on the following link to read the research study in full:
Guasch-Ferré et al. BMC Medicine 2013, 11:164 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/164
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