Research into the health benefits of nut consumption continues to mount up, with two recent studies highlighting a number of beneficial impacts.
In September, researchers at Harvard University published the results of a study that had been conducted with nearly 290,000 men and women, aged between 24 and 75. The research suggested that switching from unhealthy snacks to a handful of nuts could help to keep middle-aged spread at bay.
The researchers suggest that nuts can help to keep people fuller for longer and also highlight that nut fibre binds to fat within the gut, which in turn means more calories are excreted.
A second study, presented at a congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Paris, found that eating a handful of nuts twice a week could cut the risk of dying from heart disease by one-fifth. The 12 year study asked 5000 adults about their diet every 2 years and found those eating 2 portions of nuts reduced their risk of death from heart disease by 17%. The nuts consumed in the test included hazelnuts (cobnuts are a cultivated variety of hazelnut), walnuts, almond and pistachio.
Interestingly, the study’s author was quoted as saying that fresh nuts were the best. So perhaps, our UK tradition of eating fresh rather than dried cobnuts is particularly good for your health. Let’s hope someone looks into this, but in the meantime we will certainly keep munching!
