Adding nuts to your diet could help you live longer, according to one study

Adding nuts to your diet may actually help you live longer, one study has found.

In fact, research has proven it the seeds may play a role in heart health, brain health, and health aging.

While we all know that greens, berries, and many cruciferous vegetables that activate the body’s natural detoxification system work, who knew adding nuts to our diet would help us live longer?

Research shared by California Walnuts as part of a study for coronary artery risk development in young adults shows that eating nuts as a daily snack is a proven way to improve health and potentially live longer.

So here’s how this nut comes out on top.

It should be noted that not all nuts are created equal, as some have much higher fat content, but health experts recommend that eating nuts in moderation may ward off age-related diseases.

CARDIA scientists examined 20 years of dietary history and 30 years of physical and clinical measurements in more than 3,300 people.

What this research found is that participants who ate nuts early in life were shown to be more likely to be more physically active, have a higher quality diet, and experience a better heart disease risk profile as they age. .

It also determined that having five or more servings of nuts a week may provide the greatest benefit for reducing mortality risk and increasing life expectancy.

CARDIA lead researcher Lyn Steffen said: ‘Nut eaters appear to have a unique body phenotype that brings with it other positive health impacts such as improved diet quality, especially when they start eating nuts from a young age through to middle adulthood – as the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes increases.

And in a more recent study published in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, researchers theorized that one possible explanation for the findings could be due to the unique combination of nutrients found in nuts and their effect on health.

Using data from the CARDIA study, the team compared data from 3,000 people divided into the categories: “nut eaters,” “other nut eaters,” or “nut non-eaters.”

Evaluated the relationships between heart disease risk factors including dietary intake, smoking, body composition, blood pressure, plasma lipids, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and insulin concentrations in 352 consumers of nuts, 2,494 other nut eaters, and 177 nut-free eaters.

Average nut intake during the study was about 21 grams per day, and nut intake among other nut eaters was about 42.5 grams per day.

The study by University of Minnesota School of Public Health scientists involved information collected from 3,023 men and women between the ages of 18 and 30.

Self-reported diet history was taken three times during the study.

Walnuts contain significant amounts of the essential plant-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, which research shows may play a role in heart health, brain health, and healthy aging.

They contain 4.4 g of protein and 1.4 g of fiber per 30 g. They are also rich in other nutrients such as vitamin E, magnesium, vitamin B6, folic acid and potassium.

They also contain thiamin, zinc, pantothenic acid and iron.

Consuming nuts two to four times a week could also have its benefits.

Other research found that moderate nut consumption was associated with a 14% lower risk of death (from any cause), a 25% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and an approximately 1.3-year increase in life expectancy. life compared to those who do not consume nuts.

An ounce of nuts is a powerhouse of important nutrients for optimal health, including protein (4g), fiber (2g), a good source of magnesium (45mg), and an excellent source of the essential omega -3 WING (2.5g).

Nut eaters also had:

• Lower body mass index
• Lower waist circumference
• Low blood pressure
• Lower blood triglyceride levels.

And these are all factors that reduce the risk of heart disease.

According to Dr. Lyn M. Steffen, professor of epidemiology and community health in the School of Public Health and Lead Researcher on CARDIA: “Nut eaters appear to have a unique body phenotype that brings with it other positive health impacts such as improved diet quality, especially when they start eating nuts from young to mid-adulthood, as the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes increases.”

Dr. Steffen added: “There was a good degree of diversity in terms of the geographic location of the research fields and the population studied.

“Following these women and men over 30 years offers an unprecedented window into how lifestyle decisions made in free-living environments in young adulthood may affect health in midlife.”