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Nuts reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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American scientists have found that nut lovers, despite their bad habits, are less likely to die from diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. They came to this conclusion after analyzing data that had accumulated over almost 30 years.
Recently, this type of research has become very popular in scientific circles, as it does not require experiments or clinical observations. Scientists only need to take questionnaires from population surveys, develop a mathematical model, make calculations and find a relationship.
In a new study by scientists on the benefits of nuts, scientists analyzed tests of health workers (more than 40 thousand men and more than 70 thousand women), who were regularly surveyed for 30 years. At the initial moment of testing, people had no signs of any diseases (cancer, heart disease, stroke, etc.) and they were relatively healthy. Every 2-4 years, data on the health of survey participants and nut consumption were updated.
Since nuts are different, the statistical model took into account the total amount consumed by people. Nuts were conventionally divided into two groups - groundnuts (peanuts) and other types. Nut lovers who ate them every day also ate a lot of vegetables and fruits, unlike those who did not eat nuts at all. Regarding bad habits, alcohol was consumed more by those who ate nuts - 2.5 times. According to the data, those who ate nuts daily were less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
But in order to accurately establish the relationship between nut consumption and life expectancy, experts tried to exclude the influence of other factors (cigarettes, alcohol). Although in the end they were forced to admit that they were unable to fully determine this kind of relationship.
The Food and Drug Administration in the United States has classified nuts as a valuable food product since 2003 and recommends consuming at least 43 grams of them daily to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts are considered especially useful.
One study found that eating 7 walnuts a day lowered bad cholesterol by 10% and raised good cholesterol by 18%. Nuts are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They also contain monounsaturated fats and antioxidants.
Previously, there was an opinion that nuts and seeds provoke inflammation of the intestinal mucosa, but in 2008, after a series of studies, the opinion about nuts changed dramatically. However, despite all their benefits, nuts can also be harmful. First of all, these are allergic reactions that they can provoke, the champion among allergens is peanuts. In addition, peanuts contain substances that suppress the activity of digestive enzymes, as a result, the process of digestion of food in the intestines is difficult. Almonds also require careful use. Bitter almonds contain poison - amygdalin, which is a derivative of hydrocyanic acid, so you should not abuse such nuts.
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