Nuts derive 70 to 90 percent of their calories from fat. As a result, the crunchy, delicious morsels have been verboten for people on low-fat diets, especially those interested in preventing obesity, diabetes, heart disease and the fat-related cancers, particularly breast, colon and prostate cancer. But this view began to change in 1992, when a major study of diet and health showed that noshing buts reduced heart disease risk dramatically.
Heart disease. A study conduced on annual surveys of the diet and lifestyles of 31,000 Seventh-Day Adventists. The Seventh-Day Adventists are an unusually healthy group. They are well-educated vegetarians who typically abstain from cigarettes and alcohol. As a result, they provide a unique window into the subtle factors that make the healthy even healthier. Surprisingly, compared with Seventh-Day Adventists who ate nuts rarely, those who munched them once a week had 25 percent fewer heart attacks, and five-times-a-week nut noshers cut their risk almost in half. Peanuts, almonds and walnuts were the most heart-protective nuts.
The study did not prove that eating nuts caused the reduction in heart attack, only that the two were associated. To investigate the causality issue, the study also divided 18 healthy men, average 30, into two groups. Both ate the same diet, with 30 percent of calories from fat, but in one group, two-thirds of that fat came from walnuts (about 20 whole walnuts a day). After a month, cholesterol levels in the walnut group dropped 12 percent, demonstrating that nut munching caused the decrease in heart attack that was observed in the earlier study. How could high-fat nuts good for the heart? Simple: Nuts are like fatty fish.
They are among the richest plant sources of heart-sparing omega-3 fatty acids. The rest of their fat is unsaturated – not the heart hurting saturated variety found in meats, dairy products and coconut oil. Finally, nuts also contain a good deal of selenium and vitamin E, both nutrients that help prevent heart disease. But bear in mind: The beneficial “nut effect” occurred in people who were already eating a low-fat diet. Most Americans add nuts to extremely high-fat foods: cookies, brownies and ice-cream. Nuts do not cancel out the damage done by these foods.
In addition, most of the nuts consumed in the United States are heavily salted, and all that salt increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. That said, if you eat a low-fat diet, and there is nothing wrong with adding a few nuts.
Osteoporosis. Nuts are also rich sources of the trace manganese and boron. Manganese is valuable in preserving bone health. As for boron, it has shown that women whose diets contain low levels of this nutrient lose unusually large amounts of calcium from their bones. Other good sources of boron include beans and fruits, especially apples.
Raymond Lee is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is the Founder of Bodyfixes Group specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He is currently the author of the latest edition of "Neck Exercises and Workouts." Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information.
Work at Home Freelance
In Celebration of Older Women
Pro Aging
Beautiful Forever
Living With Food Related Diseases
Heart disease. A study conduced on annual surveys of the diet and lifestyles of 31,000 Seventh-Day Adventists. The Seventh-Day Adventists are an unusually healthy group. They are well-educated vegetarians who typically abstain from cigarettes and alcohol. As a result, they provide a unique window into the subtle factors that make the healthy even healthier. Surprisingly, compared with Seventh-Day Adventists who ate nuts rarely, those who munched them once a week had 25 percent fewer heart attacks, and five-times-a-week nut noshers cut their risk almost in half. Peanuts, almonds and walnuts were the most heart-protective nuts.
The study did not prove that eating nuts caused the reduction in heart attack, only that the two were associated. To investigate the causality issue, the study also divided 18 healthy men, average 30, into two groups. Both ate the same diet, with 30 percent of calories from fat, but in one group, two-thirds of that fat came from walnuts (about 20 whole walnuts a day). After a month, cholesterol levels in the walnut group dropped 12 percent, demonstrating that nut munching caused the decrease in heart attack that was observed in the earlier study. How could high-fat nuts good for the heart? Simple: Nuts are like fatty fish.
They are among the richest plant sources of heart-sparing omega-3 fatty acids. The rest of their fat is unsaturated – not the heart hurting saturated variety found in meats, dairy products and coconut oil. Finally, nuts also contain a good deal of selenium and vitamin E, both nutrients that help prevent heart disease. But bear in mind: The beneficial “nut effect” occurred in people who were already eating a low-fat diet. Most Americans add nuts to extremely high-fat foods: cookies, brownies and ice-cream. Nuts do not cancel out the damage done by these foods.
In addition, most of the nuts consumed in the United States are heavily salted, and all that salt increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. That said, if you eat a low-fat diet, and there is nothing wrong with adding a few nuts.
Osteoporosis. Nuts are also rich sources of the trace manganese and boron. Manganese is valuable in preserving bone health. As for boron, it has shown that women whose diets contain low levels of this nutrient lose unusually large amounts of calcium from their bones. Other good sources of boron include beans and fruits, especially apples.
Raymond Lee is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is the Founder of Bodyfixes Group specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He is currently the author of the latest edition of "Neck Exercises and Workouts." Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information.
Work at Home Freelance
In Celebration of Older Women
Pro Aging
Beautiful Forever
Living With Food Related Diseases
No comments:
Post a Comment