Go Nuts! This Food Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease

A daily serving of nuts can help to dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease, according to recent findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Chinese and American scientists found that replacing nuts with sugary and fatty snacks cut risks associated with cardiovascular conditions by as much as 30 percent.

"Epidemiologic studies have shown inverse associations between nut consumption and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality, but results have not been consistent," the researchers said, in a news release. "Our meta-analysis indicates that nut intake is inversely associated with ischemic heart disease, overall cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality but not significantly associated with diabetes and stroke. The inverse association between the consumption of nuts and diabetes was attenuated after adjustment for body mass index. These findings support recommendations to include nuts as part of a healthy dietary pattern for the prevention of chronic diseases."

For the study, researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan , China, and the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, examined data collected from 18 different studies. All of the information covered more than 12,000 cases of type II diabetes, 15,000 cases of heart disease and 50,000 deaths.

Findings revealed that the risk of heart disease dropped by close to 30 percent. Mortality risk in general also decreased by 17 percent among individuals who incorporated a daily serving of nuts into their diet. Unfortunately, no link was found between diabetes and nut consumption.