A recent study has found that consuming more nuts was associated with decreased overall and cardiovascular disease mortality – associated with death rates cut by as much as a fifth.
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, involved 71,764 people living in the southern US and 134,265 Chinese people – one a cohort of men, the other of women – living in Shanghai, China.
The research showed that nut intake was linked to a lower risk of total mortality (death from any cause), and death from cardiovascular disease.
‘Conclusions and Relevance Nut consumption was associated with decreased overall and cardiovascular disease mortality across different ethnic groups and among individuals from low SES groups. Consumption of nuts, particularly peanuts given their general affordability, may be considered a cost-effective measure to improve cardiovascular health.”
Though the analysis found an association with improved health and life-span and nut consumption, it could not officially conclude a cause-and-effect relationship between eating nuts and a lower death risk. Numerous other factors were not taken into consideration, and there was no “dose-response” effect – meaning that the amount consumed was not measured.
However, as mentioned, there is a link worth noting. As Dr. Michael Katz points out: