|
Nuts vs. the
Big Three: A Closer Look at Health Claims
Could eating nuts be a strategy
to fight off the Big Three health problems: heart disease, cancer
and diabetes? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved
food label claims that nuts may reduce risk of heart disease
(as part of a heart-healthy diet). Research offers several reasons
why including nuts in an overall healthy diet might lower risk
of not just heart disease, but cancer and diabetes, too.
The strongest health benefits
of nuts relate to heart health. An analysis of four large U.S.
population studies showed that those who ate the most nuts had
about 35 percent lower risk of developing heart disease. Nut
consumption is linked to reduced levels of both total and LDL
("bad") cholesterol, which scientists say explains
much of their heart-health benefits.
The LDL-lowering may also be
due to nut compounds called phytosterols. Phytosterols are cholesterol-like
compounds that can lower the levels of LDL cholesterol. However,
the amount in a daily serving of nuts is only a fraction (less
than 6 percent) of targets for cholesterol reduction. Other scientists
pin nuts’ apparent heart-health benefits on their anti-inflammatory
effects. Another boost to heart health that won’t show up
in blood cholesterol levels may come from nuts’ antioxidants,
such as vitamin E. |
|
The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
effects of nuts could also give nuts a role in lowering cancer
risk, although direct evidence is limited. Preliminary studies
linking nut consumption with lower insulin resistance also suggest
that nuts could play a role in reducing risk of diabetes. Yet
there is wide variability in many of the studies’ results,
which suggests that how we consume nuts may influence their health
effects.
In the United States, people
mostly eat nuts as snacks. If the concentrated calories found
in nuts are simply added to a diet, it can make weight control
difficult. This is especially a problem when people add nuts
to their diet by eating them in high-calorie foods such as candy,
cookies and other baked goods. Since being overweight
increases risk of all the big three health problems, increasing
calories is a significant negative.
Instead, try toasted nuts in
salads as replacements for high-fat cheese or croutons. Use nuts
to add crunch to low fat stir-fried or steamed vegetables. Don’t
risk sitting in front of the television snacking on an open can
of nuts. Scoop out one handful in a small cup to replace snacks
like cookies, pretzels or crackers.
The type of nuts we select may
also make a difference. A serving of salted nuts are as high
in sodium as a small bag of potato chips. And at least half of
the antioxidants in nuts are lost when the soft skin called the
pellicle is removed. Walnuts are almost always eaten with the
pellicle, yet almonds and peanuts may not have the pellicle.
Research establishing nuts’
place in a health-promoting diet is far from ironclad. But the
potential is clearly there, as long as you eat them in moderate
portions as a replacement for other high-calorie, less-nutritious
foods like chips, sweets or fatty meats. |
Print
Forums
Refer Page
