25% Reduction in Risk of World’s Biggest Killer with Just a Handful of Nuts a Day

Scandinavian researchers have found that eating a small amount of nuts and seeds daily can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

According to a new study published in the Food Nutrition Research Journal, three types of nuts are most effective in preventing heart disease by lowering high cholesterol levels.

Nuts are rich in fiber, protein, and vitamins and can reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol is the main cause of cardiovascular disease. Thus, maintaining a healthy lipid profile can reduce the risk of infection, the world’s number one killer.

And scientists from Sweden and Norway have found that eating a handful of nuts a day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 25%, and also reduces the risk of dying from a heart attack by a quarter.

“If you eat a handful of nuts a day, about 30 grams, your risk of cardiovascular disease will drop by 20 to 25 percent,” said study co-author Eric Christopher Arnesen of the University of Oslo.

After reviewing 60 studies that assessed the association between nut consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, the researchers concluded that almonds, pistachios, and walnuts appeared to be the best for lowering cholesterol levels.

While the team based on the study stated that these three types are the best, they have shown that eating a small amount of nuts (various types) is better than no nuts at all and can significantly improve heart health.

“Nuts have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels, which is important to keep low to prevent the accumulation of fat in the arteries, or, as it is called, atherosclerosis, which is one of the biggest risk factors for heart attacks,” Arnesen said. explained.

More than 1.8 million people took part in the review, and the researchers looked at the relative risk of heart disease or stroke compared to the number of nuts they ate per day.

The researchers found that nuts lowered blood lipids and did not appear to affect blood pressure, and they were unable to determine if they affected blood sugar levels.

It’s also unclear whether eating nuts lowers the risk of stroke and type 2 diabetes, as the study authors say more research is needed.

The team hypothesized that the fatty acid composition of nuts is beneficial for overall health.

“While nuts cannot be used to treat high cholesterol, we believe the effect is significant enough to be used as a preventive measure in the general population,” Arnesen added.

Source: New York Post.