Maastricht, Netherlands (BBN)-Eating half a handful of nuts every day could substantially lower the risk of early death, a Dutch study suggests.
Previous studies had already indicated a link with cardiovascular health, but this is the first to look at specific nuts and diseases, reports BBC.
Maastricht University researchers found a 23per cent lower chance of death during the 10 year study in people eating at least 10g (0.3oz) of nuts or peanuts a day.
There was no benefit for peanut butter, which is high in salt and trans fats.
WHAT'S IN A NUT?
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids
various vitamins
fibre
antioxidants
other bioactive compounds
More than 120,000 Dutch 55 to 69 year old men and women provided dietary and lifestyle information in 1986, and then their mortality rate was looked at 10 years later.
The premature mortality risk due to cancer, diabetes, respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases was lower among the nut consumers.
There was an average 23per cent lower risk of 10 year mortality across all diseases, with a decrease of:
45per cent for neurodegenerative disease
39per cent for respiratory disease
30per cent for diabetes
Prof Piet van den Brandt, who led the study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, said: "It was remarkable that substantially lower mortality was already observed at consumption levels of 15g of nuts or peanuts on average per day."
The researchers had taken into account the mitigating factor that nut consumers ate more fruit and vegetables and that women who ate nuts were often leaner, and adjusted the results accordingly, Prof Van den Brandt told the BBC.
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