Nuts have long been popular because they are inexpensive, easily transported and, above all, very varied. Add to that the health benefits, and you have an ideal snack!

A reduction in cardiovascular risks

The "New England Journal of Medicine" recently published a study that highlighted the effectiveness of nuts on health. People who ate one serving of nuts each day had a significant decrease in cardiovascular risk. In figures, a daily dose of nuts in our diet has been shown to reduce the risk by almost 30%.

Three reputable medical institutions - Harvard Medical School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham Hospital - mapped the results of two studies in an effort to correlate nut consumption with health benefits. In the first study, physicians followed 42,000 men for more than 25 years, while nurses in the Health Study followed 76,000 women for more than 30 years. Every two years, participants in both studies completed a questionnaire detailing their lifestyle choices, including diet.

A cancer prevention

First, researchers found that people who ate one serving of nuts per day had a 29% reduction in death from cardiovascular disease. Then, cancer deaths dropped by about 11%.

Second, people who made a habit of eating nuts in their diet tended to be healthier. Despite the fact that nut users were generally thinner, non-smokers, ate healthy foods on a regular basis, and exercised regularly, the researchers used statistical methods to ensure that these factors did not influence the results.

Finally, it was shown that the type of nut did not influence the results. Participants obtained health benefits from both peanuts and tree nuts such as cashews, almonds, pistachios, walnuts and pecans. Note that the FDA recommends limiting their consumption to 45 grams per day because they are high in calories.