A handful of tree nuts a day reduces death risk by 20 percent

Print

tree nutes mean longer lifeAlmonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts and pistachios are linked to a 20 percent lower death rate, U.S. researchers say.

Lead author Dr. Ying Bao of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston and colleagues analyzed nut consumption with total and cause-specific mortality among 76,464 women in the Nurses' Health Study and 42,498 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Consumption of nuts, including tree nuts such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts was inversely associated with total mortality in both men and women, independent of other predictors for death.

In addition, there were significant inverse associations for deaths due to cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease, Bao said.

More...