Nuts

Source of monosaturated fat which has been shown to be cardioprotective.

Rich in nutrients such as unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, vitamins, arginine, phenolic antioxidants, and other phytochemicals.

80% of calories are from fat with most monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Rich in plant protein (10-25%).

Rich source nutrients, dietary fiber minerals including copper, magnesium copper and potassium, vitamins including folic acid, niacin, vitamin E, and vitamin B6 and other vital active agents such as phenolic antioxidants and phytosterols.

Consumption 5 or more times per week associated with up to a 50% reduction in risk of myocardial infarction compared to those who rarely eat nuts.

Past studies have linked consumption of nuts to a reduction in a variety of cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, abnormal lipid levels, insulin resistance, and inflammation.

Nut consumption has beneficial effects with respect to coronary heart disease and intake inversely associated with various cardiovascular mediators such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction

Associated with a reduced risk of type II diabetes and decreases LDL cholesterol.

Eating five or more 28-g servings of nuts per week was linked to a 17% lower risk of CVD, a 34% lower risk of CVD death, a 20% lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), and a 31% lower risk of death from all causes compared with eating less than one serving per month.

For each one serving increase in total nuts per week, the risk of CVD decreased by 3% and the risk of death from CVD decreased by 6%.

Peanut consumption is associated only with a significantly reduced with all-cause death with increasing levels of consumption.

Eating more nuts after their diabetes diagnosis has additional benefits of an 11% lower risk of CVD, 15% lower risk of CHD, 27% lower risk of death from CVD, and 27% lower risk of death from all causes compared with people who did not increase their nut consumption after diagnosis.

Peanuts are actually legumes, not nuts, and so have a different nutritional composition.

Eating nuts may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death in people with type 2 diabetes.

Higher levels of nut consumption, especially tree nuts like walnuts, cashews, and almonds, are associated with a greater reduction in cardiovascular risk.

Nuts provide healthy nutrients, such as unsaturated fatty acids, plant proteins, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals.

Consumption associated with a decrease risk of hypertension.

Classified as legumes peanuts have similar nutrients as many tree nuts.

Provides plant-based protein, nutrients vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium, copper, zinc and selenium.

Causes better and long-standing satiety because of high fiber, protein and fat than high-glycemic foods.

Whole nuts’ fiber  content reduces the digestibility and slows the absorption of the fats they contain and this is likely enhances satiety. 

Diet enriched with almonds does not change insulin sensitivity in diabetics or healthy individuals.

Almond enriched diet has a beneficial effect on serum lipids.

Improvement in lipoprotein profiles in diets with high consumption of walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia or peanuts.

Epidemiologic studies consistently show frequent nut consumption reduces his coronary artery risk (Kelly JH).

Regular Nut Consumption Linked With Lower Mortality

An observational study examined the association between nut consumption and all-cause mortality in the Health Professional Follow-up Study (Physician’s and Nurse’s Health Study) over 24 years.

Nut consumption was recorded at baseline and again every 2 to 4 years among healthy participants with more than 3 million person-years follow-up.

Nut consumption was inversely associated with total mortality in a dose-dependent fashion, and there is significant inverse associations with cardiovascular death, cancer deaths, diabetes, and deaths from respiratory disease.

There is an independent inverse relationship between nut consumption and all-cause death among physicians and nurses.

Mean coronary artery disease risk 37% lower among individuals that consume 4 or more servings of nuts a week compared with those who seldom or never eat nuts, and a mean reduction of 8.3% for each incremental serving per week of nuts consumed (Kelly JH).

Eating 1.5 oz/day of almonds, hazel nuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, and peanuts may reduce cardiovascular risk (FDA).

In a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding study, 30 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) consumed a low-fat control diet with low-fat/high-carbohydrate snacks and a moderate-fat diet containing pistachios accounting for 20% of total energy, for 4 weeks each, separated by a 2-week washout: A diet containing pistachios significantly reduced total peripheral resistance, increased cardiac output, and improved some heart rate variability measures, significantly reduced blood pressure (Sauder KA et al).