Nuts and peanuts, protection against cardiovascular disease
Consuming nuts five or more times a week can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 14 percent, that of stroke by 20 percent, compared with sporadic consumption. The finding confirms already established evidence on the benefits of nuts, but emerges from the largest study to date on the subject.
The authors of the research-published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and co-funded by the California Nut and Peanut Producers Associations-analyzed 210,000 questionnaires on dietary habits filled out by participants in three large epidemiological studies of qualified personnel (physicians and nurses).
The analysis focused on the relationship between the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke on the one hand, and the consumption of nuts. Distinguishing consumption profiles on 4 different types of nuts, and adding peanuts to the comparison. The latter, while belonging to the legume category, share with nuts the consumption occasions and virtuous fatty acid profile.
Research shows that increased consumption of nuts (in an average ration of 28 grams) is associated with decreased risk of total cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. The concluding table shows the risk coefficients, variously decreased, in relation to consumption of the different types of nuts under study.
