We’ve all heard that nuts are good for our hearts. In fact, the link is strong enough that the FDA allows nuts to carry a claim that “Eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
If you’re a nut-lover, this is good news. But now, it gets even better.
Today, we’re finding that there’s also a link between nut consumption and longevity. This includes tree nuts and peanuts, but not peanut butter. (Some popular tree nuts include almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, pecans and walnuts.)
The study found that men and women who eat at least 10 grams of nuts or peanuts per day have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death than people who don’t eat them. In fact, people who eat nuts had a 23 percent lower total mortality rate.
Nut and peanut intake had the strongest effect on reducing the risk of death from:
- Neurodegenerative disease (45% reduction)
- Respiratory disease (39%)
- Diabetes (30%)
- Cardiovascular disease (17%)
- And cancer (15%)
Project leader Piet van den Brandt commented: “It was remarkable that substantially lower mortality was already observed at consumption levels of 15 grams of nuts or peanuts on average per day (half a handful). A higher intake was not associated with further reduction in mortality risk.”
Previous peanut studies focused on cardiovascular disease. However, in this new study, peanuts show at least as strong of a reduction in mortality as tree nuts when it comes to all of the health conditions listed above.
Peanut butter, on the other hand, did not have a similar effect on mortality risk. This may be due to added ingredients, like salt and vegetable oils. Plus, peanut butter has been shown to contain trans fats in the past. The combination of these ingredients could inhibit the protective effects of peanuts.
SOURCES:
Oxford University Press (OUP). “Nuts and peanuts — but not peanut butter — linked to lower mortality rates, study finds.” ScienceDaily. June 2015.
van den Brandt PA, et al. Relationship of tree nut, peanut and peanut butter intake with total and cause-specific mortality: a cohort study and meta-analysis. Int J Epidemiol. 2015 Jun 11. pii: dyv039. [Epub ahead of print]
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