Eating this snack twice a week can add years to your life

Recently, Ladders reported on a prospective association study promoting the benefits of eating nuts regularly and cognitive health.

A massive study pool comprised of 4,822 adults indicated that habitual consumption was inversely associated with cognition decline.

Similarly, a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in conjuction with the World Congress of Cardiology. toward (ESC) the end of last year supports the superfood by way of heart health.

In addition to being an ideal low-calorie alternative to traditional saturated snacks, nuts are packed with nutrients and unsaturated fatty acids.

More discreetly, the data presented at the conference posits that consuming a single serving of nuts at least twice a week can reduce one’s risk of dying from heart disease-related conditions by as much as 17%.

This outcome remained consistent even when the researchers adjusted for age, smoking habits, and degree of physical activity.

It should be noted that servings sizes vary depending on the type of nut consumes; this can also be assumed to be true of the depth of risk reduction. The ESC locates the optimal daily value of unsalted nuts around 30 grams.

One ounce: 24 almonds, 18 medium cashews, 12 hazelnuts or filberts, 8 medium Brazil nuts, 12 macadamia nuts, 35 peanuts, 15 pecan halves, and 14 English walnut halves:3.

“Raw fresh nuts are the healthiest,” Dr Mohammadifard adds. “Nuts should be fresh because unsaturated fats can become oxidised in stale nuts, making them harmful. You can tell if nuts are rancid by their paint-like smell and bitter or sour taste,” the authors added during the conference.

Nut consumption and heart health risk

The authors derived their findings from a study pool comprised of 5,432 Iranian adults aged 35 and older. These were tracked for a total of twelve years and none had a previous history of heart disease.

Via a dietary questionaire, the authors were able to track the average consumption of walnuts, pistachios, almonds, seeds, hazelnuts, and pecans that the featured participants consumed.

Once all relevant data was collected, the authors conducted a follow up back in 2013.

In that time 751 cardiovascular events (coronary heart disease or stroke), 179 cardiovascular-related deaths, and 458 all-cause deaths occurred.

Those who consumed nuts two times a week or more enjoyed the most profound benefits in regards to risk reduction.

“Nuts are a good source of unsaturated fat and contain little saturated fat,” study author Dr Noushin Mohammadifard of Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute in Iran in a pess statement. “They also have protein, minerals, vitamins, fibre, phytosterols, and polyphenols which benefit heart health. European and U.S. studies have related nuts with cardiovascular protection but there is limited evidence from the Eastern Mediterranean Region. “

On the added benefits of routine nut consumption The Mayo Clinic Adds:

• Lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which play a major role in the buildup of deposits called plaques in your arteries
• Improve the health of the lining of your arteries
• Lower levels of inflammation linked to heart disease
• Reduce the risk of developing blood clots, which can lead to a heart attack and death