Several studies suggest that nuts are heart health friendly, to test the theory data was examined from two clinical trials that involved diabetics, in which 16,217 adult participants who were followed for more than 3 decades filled out surveys every 2-4 years describing diets with focus on consumption of tree nuts and peanuts which are beans that grow underground.
3,336 participants developed heart disease by the end of the study, and 5,682 died. Those who ate 5+ servings of tree nuts per month were found to be less likely to develop heart disease, and to have has a 34% lower risk of cardiovascular death, as well as a 31% lower risk of premature death from all causes. Factors such as weight, gender, and smoking did play a role but all groups were found to benefits from tree nut consumption.
Those with diabetes who increased tree nut consumption experienced an 11% decreased in risk of heart attack and a 25% decrease in risk of dying from the condition; odds of staying heart healthy improved by 6% with each additional 28 gram serving.
Higher tree nut consumption was associated with lower risk of heart disease and death; tree nuts were found to have stronger impact on outcomes, however high peanut consumption was still associated with a lower risk of death. Diabetics who ate peanuts did not have the same outcomes as those who ate tree nuts such as walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, almonds, and pistachios, most of the nutrients and antioxidants were noted to be found in the nut’s skins.
Regular nut consumption may have a significant benefit for diabetic patients, tree nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, and almonds may be particularly beneficial according to the researchers; and pointing out to patients to increase nut consumption may help to improve outcomes.
