Regular consumption of nuts (including walnuts and pistachios) may reduce the risk of obesity and metabolic disorders, informs PLOS ONE. Until now, nuts were considered too greasy to be of help in maintaining a slim figure.
The latest analysis conducted by scientists from Loma Linda University in California on a group of 803 people showed that among those who ate the most nuts, the so-called wood (such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, pecans and almonds) obesity was 37-46 percent. less frequent compared to those who consumed the least. Eating peanuts has not been shown to have an equally beneficial effect on body weight. Among those who ate a lot of peanuts and tree nuts, obesity was 37 percent lower, and among those who consumed low peanuts and a lot of wood, obesity was 46 percent lower. less frequent.
The subjects were members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and participants in the study Adventist Health Study-2. Data on their diet and health as well as data on height and weight, age and gender were collected for analysis. People in the group consuming the most tree nuts ate about 16 grams per day, and those in the group with the lowest intake – 5 grams per day.
It also turned out that the largest amateurs of tree nuts by more than 30 percent. less often they had the symptoms of the so-called metabolic syndrome. It is a group of metabolic disorders which, when taken together, significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases (twice) and type 2 diabetes (up to five times). This includes: abdominal obesity, increased levels of triglycerides, decreased levels of the so-called good cholesterol (HDL), high blood pressure or diagnosed hypertension, and elevated blood glucose levels. According to the definition given by the American Heart Association, metabolic syndrome occurs when a person has a total of three of these disorders.
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As co-author Dr. Joan Sabate emphasizes, although it does not prove a direct relationship between the consumption of tree nuts and a lower risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, there are several indications that there is such a relationship.
These nuts are, among others A rich source of healthy unsaturated fats that can help you improve your good cholesterol levels. Plus, they are very caloric and high in protein, so they can make you feel full faster and make people eat less unhealthy caloric foods. In addition, many other compounds are present in them, including vitamins and micronutrients, beneficial to health.
This latest study supports other reports of the health benefits of consuming nuts on a regular basis. In November 2013, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people who ate the most nuts were less likely to die in 24 years than those who ate the least.