Research studies in the past have revealed the numerous benefits of consuming nuts on a regular basis. Now, a new study has found that eating unsalted nuts, such as walnuts, almonds and pistachios, in their raw form, considerably lowers the risk of death from heart attacks and strokes.
The research, which was recently presented at ESC (European Society of Cardiology) Congress 2019, a summit of the world’s leading cardiologists, found that those who ate nuts at least twice a week were 17% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.
For the study, researchers examined the association between consumption of nuts, the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, in Iranian population. Researchers gathered and analysed data from a total of 5,432 adults aged 35 years or older, with no history of cardiovascular disease, who were randomly selected from urban and rural areas of the Isfahan, Arak and Najafabad counties. The participants were asked to undertake a validated food frequency questionnaire in 2001 which assessed the intake of nuts like walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts and seeds.
Researchers interviewed participants or family members, every two years until 2013, checking for the occurrence of cardiovascular events and death. During such interviews, the researchers were specifically concerned about outcomes such as coronary heart disease, stroke, total cardiovascular disease, death from any cause as well as death from cardiovascular disease.
A median 12-year follow-up concluded that there were 751 cardiovascular events, of which 594 were coronary heart disease and 157 were strokes. There were also 179 cardiovascular deaths and 458 all-cause deaths. Detailed analysis of the collated data revealed that consumption of nuts more than twice a week proved beneficial in deterring deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. The researchers further found that this connection between consumption of nuts and a healthy heart was robust even after adjusting for factors that could influence this relationship, such as age, sex, education, smoking and physical activity. They realised that intake of nuts was inversely associated with the other outcomes but lost significance after adjustment.
Dr Noushin Mohammadifard of Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute (Iran), who led the study, said, “Nuts are a good source of unsaturated fat and contain little saturated fat. They also have protein, minerals, vitamins, fibre, phytosterols and polyphenols which benefit hearth health. European and US studies have related nuts with cardiovascular protection but there is limited evidence from the Eastern Mediterranean Region.”
According to ESC guidelines, 30gm (grams) of unsalted nuts per day is one of the characteristics of a healthy diet and the energy density of nuts is high as well. “Raw fresh nuts are the healthiest. 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.”
