Here’s How Many Nuts to Eat Each Week for Heart Health

Heres How Many Nuts to Eat Each Week for Heart

Eating nuts regularly may reduce your risk of dying from heart disease, according to a study published in BMC Medicine.

It’s the ideal snack when you’re feeling peckish, but also a good tip to cut hunger when you’re greedy. Nuts like Walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios or almonds are beneficial for health, especially when you are at high cardiovascular risk, according to the results of a Spanish clinical trial published in the BMC Medicine.

More than 20 years ago, the first studies have been published on the possible beneficial effects of nut consumption on health. A study published in 2010 in Nutrients Review for example, confirmed that nut consumption was able to improve blood lipid levels (cholesterol, triglycerides) and could influence inflammatory processes, oxidative stress, vascular reactivity and blood sugar control… All mechanisms that would contribute to a reduction in the risk of cancers, cardiovascular diseases and thus overall mortality.

In the new trial by the Spanish researchers, 7,216 people at high cardiovascular risk (3,071 men and 4,145 women with an average age of 67) were divided into three groups. The first followed a Mediterranean diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil, the second a Mediterranean diet enriched with nuts (in this study, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, and cashews were all considered nuts) and the third a “control” diet for comparison. After a follow-up of about 5 years, the researchers found that, compared to non-consumers, subjects who consumed at least 3 servings (or handfuls) of nuts per week (which totals 84 g) had a 39% reduced risk of all-cause mortality, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. A protective effect on premature mortality was also observed in the group of people who followed a nut-enriched diet.

As a reminder, cardiovascular diseases are the second leading cause of death after cancer, with more than 140,000 deaths each year, but they are the leading cause of death among women of all ages and among the very elderly, reports the Ministry of Health.

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