People have held back from eating nuts because of their high fat content, but the type of fat in nuts may be precisely the reason people should be eating more of them. Experts have always known that nuts are chock full of vitamins and minerals. But new research suggests that eating nuts also has the power to reduce waist sizes and prolong lives. As the number of Americans who struggle with weight loss continues to grow, so does the number of us who will die from a diseased hearts. Nuts, the nutritional superstars, can help you live longer, keep off extra pounds, and provide you with the nutrients necessary for optimal health. Here's how:
Do your heart a favor: Go Nuts!
A condition largely influenced by diet, heart disease will eventually kill more than a third of us, according to current statistics. Foods consumed today and throughout our lives will determine whether we will succumb to heart disease in the future. The good news is that people may lower their risk for heart disease by 25 to 39 percent if they eat a serving of nuts five or more times a week, according to a recent study published in the Tufts Nutrition Reviews journal.As you may already know, not all fats are created equal. The kind of fat we want to avoid - saturated fat or "bad" fat, found in meats, cheeses, and whole milk - can increase our risk for heart disease. But nuts are filled with "healthy" fats called mono- and poly- unsaturated fats, which may actually be essential to heart health, according to research led by Jose Ordovas, Chief of the Nutrition and Genomics Lab at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts.
Dr. Ordovas's work shows that diets high in "healthy" fats like those found in nuts may significantly benefit the heart by lowering blood levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. But high levels of HDL cholesterol may protect the heart and lead to longer, healthier lives.
The heart-healthy components of nuts do not stop there. Nuts also contain a variety of other nutrients that may help ward off heart disease. Nuts are high in soluble fiber that may help lower blood cholesterol levels. Almonds, peanuts, and hazelnuts are especially high in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that is thought to protect blood vessels from damage by free radicals. Peanuts and hazelnuts are high in folate, which lowers blood levels of homocysteine, a compound linked to heart disease risk. All nuts provide copper, which is an essential mineral that helps to maintain good cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure.
And many nuts, including peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, are high in the amino acid arginine. New research shows that arginine may play an important role in fighting heart disease. Arginine is converted to a compound called nitric oxide in the blood, which works to widen arteries and lower blood pressure, possibly preventing fatal heart attacks.
Eat nuts to slim down?
Numerous studies have demonstrated the potential for nuts to help people achieve and sustain their weight-loss goals. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health compared the effects of two weight-loss diets, both with the same number of calories, but with different amounts of total fat. One diet was low in fat (about 20 percent of total calories from fat) and the other diet was moderately high in fat (about 35 percent of total calories from fat). The people on the moderately high-fat diet consumed primarily 'healthy' fats in the form of nuts, avocados, and olive and canola oil.Although both diets produced similar weight loss results initially, the people on the low-fat diet began gaining weight after 6 months and weren't able to stick with the diet. But people on the moderate fat diet were able to stick with the diet and keep the weight off, even after two and a half years. This suggests that 'healthy' fats (mono- and poly- unsaturated fats) may help people keep weight off.
Keep in mind that nuts, like all foods high in fat, are high in calories. The dieters in these studies were likely eating less of something else (cookies) to compensate for the calories coming from the added nuts to their diets. But you can and should indulge in nuts without feeling guilty - just don't eat a whole jar.
Other research suggests that nuts help people consume fewer calories throughout the day by reducing snack cravings. A recent study at Purdue University shows that a snack of peanuts or peanut butter kept people's hunger satisfied for over two hours on average, whereas low-fat snacks such as rice cakes kept their hunger satisfied for only half an hour.
Most dieters opt for lower-fat snacks because they are generally lower in calories, but this approach may actually hinder their weight loss efforts by encouraging them to overeat later on. Researchers hypothesize that nuts help stave off hunger because of their high fiber, fat, and protein content; these nutrients act to slow down the digestion process, which causes a longer lasting sense of 'fullness.' The thought is the more satisfied you are, the less likely you are to overeat. This challenges the belief that all high fat foods will ruin your diet.
What else do nuts have to offer?
Just one handful of any variety of nuts provides a good source of protein, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, zinc, and thiamin. Additionally, nuts are high in phytochemicals and phytosterols, which may have cancer-fighting properties. Almonds, Brazil nuts, and pistachios are particularly good sources of calcium. And peanuts and pistachios provide a good source of B vitamins, essential for energy production, protein metabolism, and the synthesis of red blood cells.
The bottom line: Not all fat is bad.
"It is clear that we could all benefit from eating more 'healthy' fats such as those found in nuts," Dr. Ordovas said. "In fact, most Americans need to eat more healthy fats in order to protect their health."
In short, eat fewer foods high in saturated or "bad" fats such as red meat, full-fat cheeses, cakes, cookies, pie crusts, donuts, and other baked goods, and eat more foods high in "healthy" fats such as nuts, avocados, and canola or olive oils. You will be doing your heart a favor and may even experience better weight control.
Here's to nuts, and here's to good health!
Marin Thompson is a Human Nutrition student at Tufts
