Nuts lose weight, prevent cancer and extend life

Nuts have long been considered good for heart health. The Harvard study is the largest study to date of the relationship between nut consumption and longevity. Researchers tracked 119,000 men and women and found that people who ate nuts every day were 20% less likely to die during the study period than people who never ate nuts. Studies also found that even eating nuts at irregular intervals can reduce the risk of death.

The study found that people who ate nuts seven or more times a week had a 29% lower risk of dying from heart disease and an 11% lower risk of dying from cancer compared with people who never ate nuts.

Bao Ying, a Chinese doctor at Harvard Boston Affiliated Hospital who led the study, said that people generally believe that eating nuts will make people gain weight, but their research showed the opposite results.

Researchers don't know why nuts can improve health. That may be related to nuts 'unsaturated fatty acids, minerals and other nutrients that lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation and other problems.

Several previous studies have shown that eating nuts can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, rectal cancer and other diseases.

Harvard's latest research combines studies of 76464 female nurses and 424498 male medical professionals starting in the 1980s. Study participants were asked to fill out questionnaires about the food they ate and lifestyle habits every two to four years, including how often they ate a serving of nuts.

Studies have found that people who regularly eat nuts are healthier, have lower weights, exercise more, and are less likely to smoke. After taking these and other factors into account, researchers still saw clear benefits of nuts.

Compared with people who never ate nuts, people who ate an ounce of nuts less than once a week had a 7% lower risk of death, 11% lower risk of death once a week, 13% lower risk of death if they ate 2 to 4 times a week, and 20% lower risk of death if they ate 7 or more times a week.

Dr. Bao Ying said that their research has done a lot of very cutting-edge analysis. "I am very confident that these observations reflect the true benefits of nuts," she said.